


Mutiny of the Heart

by treya_barton



Series: Mutiny of the Heart [2]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Blood and Violence, M/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2019-08-07 17:50:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16413074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treya_barton/pseuds/treya_barton
Summary: Yu is sailing on a merchant ship that is attacked by the Jiraiya pirates.





	1. Imprisonment

Narukami Yu couldn’t see the appeal in sailing.  Sailors and poets all described the ocean as vast and free, a place of opportunity and adventure.  So far most of his trip had been holed up in his cabin since the crew didn’t seem to like him getting in the way on deck.  Although the vessel was considered a bit larger as far as merchant ships went, the area above deck was narrow with crew rushing about keeping the ship moving, while the space below deck was taken up by the items being shipped to the colonies.  Furthermore, while Yu was ostensibly going to Inaba to visit his uncle and cousin, he knew the real reason his parents were sending him over is the fact a rich heiress lived in town, and they were thinking of potential marriage prospects for their son.

Yu let out a sigh as he sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes that were sore from reading in the candlelight.  His family were landed gentry, but not actually part of the aristocracy, so they were often looked down upon by the nobility even though they had more wealth than most of them.  Since many that lived around them were aristocrats and not really looking to marry outside of their station, his parents were betting on him making a good match with this heiress that would at least bring a large dowry with her.  Yu, on the other hand, had little interest in marriage and was honestly only going out of expectations.  Thus, while most may see the ocean as vast and free, he couldn’t help but view this boat as a prison.

Yu drummed his fingers on the small desk in his cabin, while getting even further lost in thought.  His parents were also worried about his lack of interest in the women out in society in their area.  Yu never danced with the same girl twice nor did he ever show interest in any of the ladies beyond being polite and cordial.  While there were several women who had showed interest in him back home, he tended to shy away when they seemed to have any expectation for his attention.  He stuck to gentlemanly pursuits such as hunting, fencing, and spending time at the gentleman’s club in town, and while he was still young he could tell it was starting to worry his parents.  This rich heiress of the Kujikawa family was supposed to be very pretty, and he was sure his parents were hoping she would cure him of his abnormal disinterest in women.

Yu highly doubted that, but knew at the end of the day regardless of his interests he would be expected to marry and produce an heir.  He was an only child and a male at that so all of his family’s expectations were on his shoulders.  Yu’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden loud noise outside that was followed up by a violent rocking motion.  He had to grab hold of the desk in order to steady himself (the desk was bolted to the ground), and he quickly put out his candle that had knocked onto the floor before it could start a fire.  There was a lot of commotion above deck, and he could hear shouting and the sounds of people running around outside.  There was second loud sound, and Yu suddenly realized what it sounded like.  “Cannon fire?” he said to himself, almost getting knocked off his feet by a second violent tremor in the vessel. 

Yu quickly opened his door and dashed upstairs, realizing that all of the crew had already made their way to the deck when he didn’t run into any of them on the way to the ladder.  When he popped his head out from below deck, the first thing he noticed was that another ship had pulled alongside theirs and was the one firing cannons at them.  He looked up toward the mast and his heart stopped when he saw a Jolly Roger flapping in the wind; it was distinct because the skull was shaped like a frog instead of the usual skull and crossbones.  He had heard vague stories about Captain Jiraiya, but he had been too caught up in his own situation to pay attention to the tall tales the sailors liked to share.

The crew was desperately trying to return the cannon fire, but it appeared that the pirate ship had come up upon them unexpectedly – it was a fast moving ship, and there was a heavy fog making it difficult to see very far.  It somehow made the other ship look even more ominous.  Another cannon shot fired from the enemy vessel, and there was a large crack as it cut through the mast, causing it to lean over dangerously which also made the boat begin to lean in the water.  Yu didn’t know a lot about ships, but he did understand that without a working mast and with the ship listing like it was, they would probably soon start taking on water and would basically be stranded.

Moments later, the pirates began to board their ship, guns blazing as they fired at the crew as they crossed over by various means from their vessel.  Most of the crew desperately fought back, and Yu felt his adrenaline began to kick in as he watched men he had been traveling with for the past few days fall to the ground with the deck soon becoming slick with their blood.  Some of the pirates and crew used swords and the clanging sound of their blades could be heard around him as Yu finally stepped up on deck and desperately looked around for something he could use for defense.  He spotted a sword that had tumbled to the ground after one of the pirates had been shot moments after setting foot on the ship, and he dashed between a member of the crew and another pirate as he dove for it, sliding to pick it up before backing up further on deck and away from the main mayhem.  Thus, he was able to clearly watch as Captain Jiraiya crossed over, sword in one hand and gun in the other, a long red cloth tied around his mouth and a long white coat trimmed with green on his shoulders.  His hat was large and black with red slits that resembled a frog’s eyes decorated on it and gold metallic stars along the brim.  Even his boots were a forest green, and Yu couldn’t help but think he looked a bit impressive, if not terrifying. 

The pirate captain immediately shot the merchant captain upon stepping on the deck, knocking his weapon out of his hand as he grasped it in pain, and quickly put an end to the fighting as the pirates began to round up the remaining crew, taking away their weapons and tying them together.  Two of them approached him, and although he momentarily put up a struggle, he soon had his weapon forcefully removed as he was also dragged forward.  He was surprised when he was brought closer to Jiraiya to realize how young his face uncovered by the cloth looked – the man looked to be about his age and yet already had such a reputation!

Jiraiya glanced at him before looking at the rest of the merchant crew.  “Gather up some of their supplies and merchandise from the hold,” he snapped out his instructions.  “Leave them tied up here – the ship will hold for several hours and there are plenty of other merchants in the area to find them.  Except for this one,” he said, pointing at Yu.  “Bring him with us.”

Yu’s eyes widened in fear as he was dragged across the gangplank that had been dropped from the pirate ship, looking back desperately at the resigned crew as a few pirates kept watch over them while the rest pillaged the ship.  He was soon taken on board the pirate ship, surprised by the fact it looked just as neat and clean as the merchant vessel had, before he was soon brought below deck to the brig and tossed inside, the door clanging and locking shut as the pirates who had dragged him in left him alone.  There was no one else down there with him, and Yu didn’t know whether or not to consider himself lucky for that.  He briefly tried to see if he could break out, but soon realized that not only did it seem to be impossible, it would be a waste of time since he would encounter nothing but pirates once he got out.

Yu slowly slid to the ground, back against the wall as he listened to the sound of footsteps above him as the pirates started bringing their stolen goods aboard.  After an indeterminant amount of time, the noises above him seemed to finally settle down, and he soon began to feel movement in the ship as it set sail again.  Now that Yu’s adrenaline from earlier was beginning to wear off, he was suddenly hit with a plethora of emotion.  First, he felt pity for the merchants that had been killed during the attack and worry for the ones left stranded on the ship; he hoped that they would be picked up as Jiraiya had said and felt sorry for the families that had lost someone that day.  Next, he was beginning to feel real panic as he realized he was now captive on a pirate ship and had no clue what they would do to him.  He didn’t know why the pirate captain had singled him out, but now he felt his hands tremble slightly as his anxiety increased.  ‘What am I going to do?’ he thought desperately.

He soon began to pick up on the sound of footsteps that were steadily growing closer, and moments later his solitude was interrupted by a young woman wearing a simple black dress with an elegant red coat over it and flanked on either side by two of the pirates.  One had messy brown hair, a loose fitting white shirt, a red cloth loosely tied around his neck, and a rather plain looking jacket, while the other was an intimidating looking tall man with a scar above his left eye and bleached hair.  His jacket looked incredibly heavy and hung on his shoulders like some of the admirals Yu had seen in the royal navy.  Yu silently watched them, especially as the woman stepped toward the lock on the enclosure and pulled out a key.  “Don’ try anythin’,” the intimidating one threatened, and Yu immediately nodded, unable to hide the tense fear on his face.

The woman sighed as she unlocked the door and slid it open, before stepping inside.  “Ignore them,” she said pleasantly, before flicking her long dark hair over her shoulder.  Yu’s eyes widened - he thought sailors were superstitious about having women on board so this was surprising.  “I am here to check you for any injuries and to ensure you’re in good health,” she explained pleasantly.  She then reached forward with her hand, surprising him.  “My name is Amagi Yukiko, and I’m the doctor on board.”

Yu hesitantly reached out and shook her hand, surprised by her confident grip and her steady gaze as she did a quick check for any injuries.  Yu hadn’t actually gotten anything beyond a few bruises from his brief skirmish when the pirates took him captive, so he knew that she probably wouldn’t find anything that needed treatment.  He was also surprised that a pirate ship would have a doctor on board – not even the merchant vessel he was on had a real doctor, just a few crew that were decent at first aid.  Jiraiya seemed to be running a tight ship.

“Can you stand for me?” Yukiko asked, and Yu nodded, carefully keeping an eye on the other two pirates as he stood unsteadily on his feet.  Yukiko motioned him forward before carefully going through an examination, thoroughly checking for any injury as she went.  “You appear to be in excellent condition,” she finally concluded before stepping back.  “Someone will be down soon to provide you nourishment.  It may be difficult, but I do encourage you to try to eat.  You’ll need the strength for your nerves,” she explained matter-of-factly.  “We will also provide you bedding so you will be more comfortable.  I’m sure the captain will be down to speak with you once he’s done managing everything above as well.”

She looked him carefully in the eyes, and he stared back at her straightforwardly.  He always found it helped to appear fearless even when scared.  “Things are not as bad here as you probably think,” she explained, eyes soft for a moment as she regarded him.  “I recommend you carefully think over what the captain will tell you when he finally comes.”

She then bowed her head slightly before stepping back out and locking the door behind her.  She swept out from the brig, the two pirates following her quietly, the brunet one glancing back at him as they left.  Yu thought he may have detected a slight sneer on his face but decided it wasn’t his biggest worry and to ignore it for now.  His biggest concern was how he was going to survive on this ship and what the captain would be coming to speak to him about.  Yu slid back down against the wall with a sigh, his head hitting it with a dull thud as he stared up at the ceiling above him.  This was going to be the longest wait of his life.


	2. The Captain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu is invited to join the crew and learns some conflicting stories about Captain Jiraiya.

That night, just as the doctor had promised, Yu was brought food and bedding to sleep on.  He shed his jacket to use as a blanket, for it was a bit chilly that night and the thin blanket that was brought to him wasn’t quite enough to stay warm.  Yu was dressed in breeches, a vest, shirt, and jacket, and left his boots on as he slept, figuring they would keep his feet warm.  He wondered how long he’d be kept there, and if he would eventually be given spare clothes to change into.  The food provided was rather bland but at least warm, and as Yukiko had promised it did help calm his nerves.  It seemed like Yu wouldn’t be getting a visit from the captain that night, so he managed to somehow fall asleep, knowing he would need the rest in order to face whatever may come in the morning.

The first thing he ended up confronting was the face of a young boy.  Yu woke up to a pair of blue eyes and a mess of blond hair and sat back with a jolt while the boy laughed at him.  “I’m here with your breakfast,” he said cheerfully, setting a bowl of porridge in front of him along with some ale.  Yu took a sip while eyeing the boy in confusion.  He wondered if the boy had been a stowaway that was allowed to join the crew and what function he may have.

“My name’s Teddie,” the boy introduced himself.  “What’s yours?”

“Yu,” he replied steadily before taking a bite of the porridge and making a face.  Bland again.  Apparently while the ship employed a doctor, they didn’t have a decent cook.

“Did you sleep well?” Teddie asked curiously and Yu glanced at his makeshift bed.  He shrugged in reply, figuring that he at least got some sleep which was about what could be expected.  Teddie hummed to himself, waiting for Yu to finish with his food before scooping up his bowl and moving to head toward the door.

“Aren’t you worried about being in here with me?” Yu asked curiously.  “I could have kidnapped you and tried to use you for leverage to get off this ship.”

Teddie turned to him and shrugged before a grin crossed his face.  “The captain seems to like you which means you’re a trustworthy guy,” he said straightforwardly, and Yu’s eyebrows rose.  “He’s a good judge of character so I figured I didn’t have to worry.  He’ll be down here soon to see you,” he added, before waving and stepping outside of the door, closing it behind him and locking it again.  He then whistled as he headed out of the brig, and Yu shook his head, wondering again what the young blond could possibly do on the ship.

Not long afterward, Yu’s solitude was broken again by the arrival of a handsome young man.  He wore a loose cotton shirt that showed off some of his chest and his collarbones, dark breeches, and familiar looking forest green boots.  His brown hair was styled so his bangs fell above his eyes and flipped up at the ends, and he had a warm, welcoming grin on his face.  It took Yu several moments to realize it was the same face he had seen on the fearsome captain the night before.  “How are you feeling?” he asked, while Yu stared at him in shock.  Yu felt a blush break out on his face, and he vaguely wondered why he felt so attracted to the man who had abducted him last night.

“As well as a man being held hostage by a pirate may feel,” Yu replied frostily, and the captain chuckled.

“I guess I should have expected that,” he said almost to himself.

“Why didn’t you leave me with the rest of the crew?” Yu asked curiously, and Jiraiya tilted his head slightly.

“I could tell you weren’t a merchant.  Your clothing and entire demeanor was different,” he explained.  “I didn’t think it would be fair to leave you with them.  While their chance of rescue was relatively high, there’s still a chance help won’t come before the ship sinks,” he explained.  “You didn’t deserve to share their fate since you were just a passenger.”

Yu looked confused by his reply, and was surprised by how perceptive the young man was.  He was even more surprised when he unlocked the door and stepped inside, offering his hand.  “My name is Yosuke, by the way,” he said with a grin, and Yu stared at the hand then back at him.  He was shocked the renowned pirate Captain Jiraiya would give him his real name.

Yu reached out and grasped Yosuke’s hand after a moment, realizing he wasn’t going to stop offering it until he did.  Yosuke’s hands were calloused and a little rough – so unlike his own which were soft from his days of gentlemanly pursuits, and Yu secretly couldn’t help but like the slightly rough texture of his touch.  There was also something electric about it that Yu couldn’t quite figure out.  “My name’s Yu, Narukami Yu,” he explained, and Yosuke’s head tilted again.  Yu wondered if he recognized it, especially since his father did have his own class of merchant ships.

“Nice to meet you,” Yosuke said, loosening his grip.  Yu reluctantly let his hand go.  “I actually have a proposition for you.  You seem like a decent fellow, and I wanted to offer you a position in my crew.  I’m sure you don’t know much about sailing yet, but we’d teach you and you’d be on your feet in no time.  It would get you out of here and out above deck with some fresh air.  What do you say?”

Yu very briefly entertained the idea before shaking his head.  He certainly couldn’t become a pirate and break the law – what would his uncle, an admiral for the royal navy – think?  Besides, he saw what they did to those merchants and to their ship.  He wanted no part of that.  “You sure?” Yosuke pressed, and Yu nodded firmly.  Yosuke frowned slightly but shrugged.  “I have to admire your strength of will, I suppose.  I’ll just let you know that the offer stands if you change your mind.”

He then headed out of the cell, locking it behind him before swiftly leaving the room.  Yu was surprised by his graceful speed, especially on the gently rocking ship, and figured he had been sailing so long his sea legs were second nature.  It had certainly taken getting used to for him.  Yu sighed, leaning against the wall as he tried to piece together everything he had learned and the many questions he still had, first and foremost being what would they do with him if he didn’t join the crew?

Yu ended up quietly sitting down there for the rest of the morning, interrupted again as a different pirate brought him his lunch, before using the afternoon to try to get some stretching and exercise done in his small cell.  By the time it was dinner he was quite restless and he asked the intimidating pirate from the night before who brought him supper if he could at least have a book to read while he was stuck down there.  To his surprise, the pirate left and soon returned with a few books, explaining they were on loan from the ship’s navigator and to make sure they returned in the same exact condition they were now.  Yu was surprised by the act of kindness and asked curiously, “What’s your name?”

“Kanji,” the man grunted.  Unlike some of the others, he sat perched outside of the cell and was watching Yu distrustfully. 

Yu took a bite of his yet again bland food before glancing at Kanji thoughtfully.  It was pretty boring not having anyone to talk to, for even on the merchant ship he had occasionally gone above deck to speak with the crew even if they hadn’t seemed to have liked him being around.  May as well make the best use of his time.  “What caused you to decide to become a pirate?” he asked curiously.

Kanji’s eyes narrowed for a moment, and it took Yu several more to realize it was in thought and not because he was glaring at him.  “I signed up to join after the Captain kicked that crooked governor out of town,” Kanji said thoughtfully, and Yu’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I come from this small town called Inaba,” Kanji explained, and Yu’s eyes widened.  Inaba was the port city where his Uncle’s home was located and where he had been traveling to.  “The governor there was an ass – he kept raising taxes an’ forcing people into debtors’ prison when they couldn’t pay.  And he was just wasting all of that money!”  Kanji looked rightfully indignant by that, and Yu listened carefully.  “One day the captain and his crew show up and raid the governor’s mansion, chasing him out of town and putting that Kujikawa girl in charge,” he shrugged.  “They started bringing goods and money to the town so after that I signed up to join.  Seemed like the thing to do.”

Yu was floored.  He had never, in all of the rumors surrounding the Jiraiya pirates, heard such a story.  He wondered if it was true, since it sounded so fantastical, but had a feeling that Kanji wasn’t the kind of guy to lie.  He figured he would need a second opinion however.  “Can you call the doctor for me?  I’ve been feeling kind of off today and want to make sure I’m not coming down with something,” he said, and Kanji’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, sure.  Be right back!” he called before rushing off.  He soon returned with Yukiko, who was wearing a different dress but the same red coat.

“Kanji said you weren’t feeling well?” she asked, stepping inside and going to feel his forehead.  “You don’t appear to be unwell…”

“I kind of lied,” Yu admitted, and behind Yukiko he saw Kanji take a menacing step forward.  “He told me a few things and I wanted to corroborate them with someone else.  After yesterday, I feel like I could trust your opinion.”

Kanji relaxed, and Yukiko eyed Yu thoughtfully.  “What would you like to ask?” she questioned curiously.

“Why did you join this crew?” he asked, and Yukiko, figuring the reason for his question, smiled.

“I was on a merchant ship, as you were, being dragged off to get married to some man who had paid for my dowry in the colonies.  I had been greatly opposed to the marriage, for I had been secretly studying to be a doctor.  I had more knowledge than many of the males in my profession, but no one would give me a chance, least of all my own parents,” she explained, a slight frown on her face.  “When we got attacked, I was running around on deck, taking care of wounds and trying to make sure the fallen were comfortable, pirate and merchant alike.  The captain spotted me and immediately offered me a spot on his crew – he said he needed a doctor and I looked like I fit the bill.  He didn’t seem to care that I was a woman.”

Yu’s brows raised in surprise.  “And you accepted?” he asked.

“Of course!” she replied.  “I didn’t want to marry the unknown man and give up my dreams.  And here was someone who saw me for my talent instead of my gender.  I joined at once,” she replied.  “Shortly afterward we returned to Inaba and brought them needed medical supplies that had been taken from that ship.  You see, the merchants were actually smuggling them and were planning on selling them to the colonies at a greatly inflated price because they know how necessary they are.  A lot of those merchants are no better than regular pirates themselves and are greedily trying to line the pockets of whatever man runs the line.”  Yu took slight offense to that, since his father was one of those merchants, but he had to admit even his father had complained about some of his competitor’s shady business dealings.  Not everyone was by the book like his dad.

These were now two stories that made him rethink Captain Jiraiya’s reputation, along with the man’s own words earlier.  He had rescued Yu, not thinking he deserved the same fate as the merchants.  And if they were as corrupt as he said…  He shook his head, trying to muddle through his thoughts.  Yosuke had also been fair when he had given the merchants a chance to be rescued.  Yu had heard many stories about crews being killed, drowned, or marooned after being attacked by a pirate vessel.  He did seem to be more fair than that at least.  “Tell your captain to come and see me again in the morning,” Yu said thoughtfully, and Yukiko inwardly smiled.

“Of course!” she said.  “Are you finished with your dinner?”

Yu took a few more bites before giving up and returning the tray to Yukiko.  She stepped outside, closing the cell before handing the tray to Kanji as she locked up.  They then left Yu to his thoughts, and he flipped through one of the books without really reading it since he was so caught up sorting out the information buzzing in his head.  What sort of man was this Captain Jiraiya?

The next morning when Yosuke showed up to speak to him, Yu was ready with his answer.  “I learned a few things about you last night,” he explained thoughtfully.  “And I have decided to give your crew a chance, if only to see for myself what kind of a man you are.”

“Excellent,” Yosuke replied with an easy grin.  He unlocked the door and opened it, before stepping aside to let Yu through.  Yu picked up his coat and slid it on, before stepping through, surprised to find he was actually a few inches taller than the other man.  “Welcome to the crew!  After you get a bit of training, we’ll find a spot for you to fill,” Yosuke said confidently.

“I can start by taking over the kitchen.  Whoever you have in there is awful,” Yu said bluntly, and Yosuke laughed heartedly.

“We all rotate turns there.  But if you can cook, by all means go ahead.  If you plan to poison us all, however, I will warn you, you will be the first to taste the food.  It’s a practice we’ve taken on for everyone who cooks,” Yosuke said, face taking on a slightly dark look as if remembering something unpleasant.  Yu raised his eyebrow and Yosuke weakly laughed.  “Let’s just say certain members of the crew have had their cooking privileges revoked. And that was when we started the new system of the cooks tasting their food first.”

Yu quickly caught on and nodded in understanding.  “So, where do we start?” he asked.

“Let me introduce you to the crew,” Yosuke said excitedly, and afterward he brought him on deck to Yu’s first taste of freedom.


	3. Sparring Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Chapter 3, Yu gets to tour the ship and meets members of the crew. He also gets into a sparring match with none other than Captain Jiraiya.

Once they stepped onto the deck, the Captain called out to a woman dressed in breeches and a short cropped green and yellow coat that stopped just past her back.  Her hair was pulled back by a scarf in order to keep her bangs out of her face, and when she turned to face them with a scowl Yosuke noted that she wore a tight fitting shirt also similar to a man’s.  She marched over, glancing at Yu curiously before facing Yosuke.  “I have told you time and time again not to yell at me,” she frowned, and Yu raised his eyebrows at her feisty attitude.  He was surprised the Captain let anyone on his crew talk back to him.

Yosuke, meanwhile, looked amused and merely chuckled.  “This is my Gunner Chie.  She’s the one I trust most in the crew.  If you ever need anything, go to her,” he explained.  “Chie, I leave Yu in your capable hands.  I have some things I need to attend to.”  He bowed slightly before walking off, immediately barking orders at a few other members of the crew before climbing up the stairs to meet up with a short girl with short cropped hair and a navy blue peat coat with gold buttons.  They both ducked into a little cabin above decks, obviously deep into a conversation.

“That’s Naoto, our sailing master,” Chie pointed out once she caught sight of where Yu’s gaze had travelled.  “They’re both planning some routes for us.  As Captain Jiraiya explained, I’m the gunner.  I’m in charge of the cannons during the gun fights.”  She then motioned Yu to follow her.  “I’ll give you a tour of the ship and get you set up for training; I can already tell you’re some gentleman’s son and not a sailor,” she said, eyeing his expensive coat pointedly. 

Yu flushed, but since she was right he had nothing to say in his defense.  “How do you know Yosuke?” he asked, and Chie turned abruptly around to face him, eyes wide with shock.  She glanced around at the surrounding crew, and when she realized no one was close enough to overhear them she motioned for Yu to follow her, heading down below deck to where their main cannons were stored.  Yu noticed that Kanji and Teddie were down there, the more intimidating man griping at the younger one as he tried to shirk his duties at wiping down the deck and the cannons.  Other than them, the room was empty.  Chie didn’t pay either of them any mind before taking a deep breath and facing Yu again. 

“Don’t use Jiraiya’s name in front of the crew,” she explained firmly, staring Yu in the eyes.  She held back another comment, obviously thinking better of it, before adding, “He shouldn’t have told you that, especially if he wasn’t going to set that standard for you.”

Yu looked confused.  “Not everyone here knows our Captain’s full story,” she explained, looking Yu straight in the eye.  “In fact, I’m probably the only one who does.  He has his own reasons for hiding it, but part of the way he does that is by going by Jiraiya.  I’m frankly astonished he told you that much.”  Chie was very straightforward, but Yu could tell it was because she cared about the other man; under her serious expression he could see a hint of worry.

“He may explain more to you later, but for now please heed my words,” she said, and Yu nodded. 

“I will,” he promised, and Chie visibly relaxed. 

“To answer your question though, he’s my childhood friend,” she shrugged.  “It’s why I can get away with talking back to him.  I recommend you don’t try the same thing,” she warned him.  “He’s nice but he has to set the example in front of the crew.”

“Duly noted,” Yu said with a wry grin.  Chie grinned back before motioning at Teddie and Kanji.

“I believe you’ve met both of them already, but Teddie is our powder monkey and Kanji is our boatswain,” Chie explained.  “Teddie is pretty much a thorn in Kanji’s side most of the time,” she huffed.  “Normally Kanji should be the one to show you around but as you can see…Teddie tends to keep his hands full.”

Yu couldn’t help but chuckle before following Chie on a tour throughout the rest of the ship.  She showed him the galley, where Yu took some quick mental notes since he planned on taking over that area himself, and the sickbay where Yukiko was busy taking stock of their supplies.  She cheerfully waved at them, expressing delight in Yu joining the crew, before Chie brought him up on deck and pointed out the various crew as they did their assigned tasks.  “You’ll soon find there are two factions on the ship.  There are those of us that have joined through the Captain, and another group that he hired on when he needed more manpower to run off the governor in Inaba.  They already had a leader of sorts that Jiraiya had to make quarter master when they were brought on.  That’s Adachi over there.”

Yu felt his blood freeze as he realized that the man she pointed out was the one who had sneered at him previously.  He noted that Adachi seemed to be whispering to two members of the crew while carefully looking about, almost as if keeping an eye out to see if he was being spotted.  Once he recognized Yu’s gaze, he trailed off before pulling away and starting to boss around the crew instead.  Something about his actions was definitely concerning to Yu, but he kept his worries to himself for now.  It wasn’t like he had actually met the man yet.  Shortly afterward, Chie had Yu start on his training regimen and began showing him some basic tasks on the deck.  She focused with things he’d need to know how to do in order to help out in an emergency, along with safety tips for various dangers he may encounter on board.  The last thing she wanted to do was test his ability in a fight.

“I saw you with the merchants and you looked like you knew how to wield a sword at least,” she mused.  “I wasn’t close enough to really see your skill though.  Do you know how to wield a gun?”

“I do hunt often at home,” he replied.  He was also confident in his sword fighting abilities and didn’t mind showing them off.  Chie looked at Yu thoughtfully, before waving over one of the members of the crew that had been mopping the deck. 

“Why don’t you test out the new member of our crew?” she asked, pulling two swords out of a nearby rack where several were being stored.  She threw one to each of them and they both caught them easily.  The pirate smirked at Yu, who held his own sword expertly, face impassive as he faced the other man.  A few interested members of the crew gathered round, and soon the cocky pirate made his first move, swinging at Yu excitedly, obviously expecting the gray haired man to be inexperienced.  He was quickly in for a surprise.

Yu easily stepped aside, dodging the erratic attack and knocking the pirate down with the hilt of his sword, resting the flat of the sword against his shoulder when the pirate jumped to his feet, glaring at him.  Now the pirate’s guard was up and he attacked a little more carefully, but Yu was quickly catching on to certain tells in the man’s movements and expressions that let him know when to parry and sidestep the attack.  Once he had fully figured out his pattern, he neatly switched to a counter attack, and with a swift parry he managed to lock the pirate’s sword and slide up, deftly knocking it from his hands and holding the tip of his sword at the man’s neck.  He immediately held up his hands to show he was giving up, and Yu pulled away his sword before reaching out to shake like he would after a sparring session back home.

The pirate looked at his hand in confusion before stepping away, another pirate eagerly taking his place.  And that’s how Yu found himself soon at the center of a group of rowdy pirates, shouting and taking bets on each fight with Chie shouting louder than any of them.  A few of the pirates put up a decent fight, but Yu’s natural capabilities and intelligence soon got the better of each of them, and he had so far been on a winning streak.  It had gotten his adrenaline going in a way he had never experienced back at home, and when the next person stepped up Yu found himself eagerly looking up at him, ready to go.  Until he realized who it was.  “Think you can take me on?” Jiraiya asked with a lazy smile, a cutlass lazily resting on his shoulder.  Yu noticed he had another one in a hilt at his side, and while he very rarely fought someone who dual wielded, he at least knew how to do it in theory.

“I’ll certainly give it a try,” Yu grinned, carefully dropping into a defensive stance as Yosuke drew both swords.  Yu couldn’t really recognize the style the young captain was adopting, although he did note that the position of his feet seemed to indicate he’d be rather light in step.  He soon realized that his estimation was an understatement.  Once Chie called the start of the fight, Yosuke dashed forward, barely giving Yu time to parry his attack before twirling around behind him, squarely kicking Yu in the back and nearly knocking him over.  Yu quickly recovered, dashing away to give himself more space and watching Yosuke twirl one of his swords in his hand in amusement.  He looked completely relaxed, while Yu found himself tense as he tried to read Yosuke’s moves.  The captain apparently didn’t want to give him any time.  He dashed forward again, feinting an attack that Yu moved to parry, and instead twirling past him while swinging around his other sword for a surprise hit, Yu barely having enough time to recover and block it.  Yosuke nearly knocked the sword out of his hands in the process, his twirling motion giving it more force than a normal strike would, and Yu began to feel nervous about the outcome of the fight.  Yosuke was skilled and unpredictable, so his usual ability to read someone wasn’t working.

‘I’ll just have to rely on my defense and look for an opening,’ he thought, almost forgetting the excited whispers of the crew as they watched their match in amazement.  Chie was also watching sharply, although her eyes were more focused on Yosuke and the look of excitement on his face.  Yosuke soon launched into a series of attacks, a whirlwind of movement that Yu could barely keep up with that was a mix of feints, parries, and strikes that soon had Yu feeling almost dizzy.  Yosuke had managed to nick him a few times with shallow scratches that wouldn’t take much to treat, and Yu was beginning to realize why Jiraiya had the reputation of being a demon.  Finally, Yu felt his strength began to sap, and Yosuke caught him off guard, knocking his sword from his hands.  The crew cheered, although a few who had become fans of Yu looked a bit disappointed, and Yu found himself falling to his knees as he caught his breath.  He was surprised when moments later Yosuke offered his hand, wide smile on his face to show he meant no harm, and Yu accepted it gratefully and allowed him to pull him up.  Yosuke then shook it firmly, and Yu was surprised to realize he understood the rules of engagement for a gentleman’s match.

“You did well,” Yosuke said.  “I haven’t had anyone put up that much of a fight in a long time.  I don’t think it’ll take long for you to fit in.”

Yu looked at him with newfound respect, unable to respond to his praise.  “Chie, take him to see Yukiko.  Then I want you to show him to the kitchen.  He’s cooking dinner tonight,” he said, before motioning at the rest of the crew.  “Break’s over, time to get back to work!”

Yu shook his head in amazement as Yosuke made his way over to talk to Adachi, letting him know of their plans after finalizing the navigation route with Naoto.  Chie, meanwhile, dragged Yu to the sickbay, where Yukiko cleaned his shallow cuts while showing disdain as Chie and Yu excitedly recounted the fight.  “I’ll have to have a word with the captain,” she said icily, and Chie laughed nervously.

“Well, I guess I should bring you to the galley now,” she said, not wanting to be around when the doctor went on one of her rampages.  She quickly whisked Yu away, silently apologizing to Yosuke who she knew would be hearing an earful in a few minutes. 

Once they made their way to the galley, Yu eagerly headed back to the kitchen, looking around at all the tools he had to cook with before quickly taking a cursory stock of their pantry.  They actually had some decent spices available, and while the cooking equipment wasn’t the best, he could certainly make do.  As a child, Yu had snuck into the kitchens quite often at his household, quietly learning from the family cook without his parent’s knowledge.  Cooking had always been fascinating, and the cook had been more than happy to show him her recipes and advice, molding him into quite a decent cook himself.  He had even helped prepare a few of his family meals, taking a secret pleasure in his parents enjoying it even if he knew he couldn’t reveal his part in the process.  Yu asked Chie for the total count on the crew, making some mental calculations once she had a number and quickly getting to work.  He noticed that they kept well stocked with salted and dried fish, and that they actually had some fresh vegetables that they had plundered from the merchant ship to use.  He quickly threw together a meal with that in mind, carefully seasoning it and taste testing to make sure each dish was perfect.

Chie watched him in awe, and had offered to step in and help on several occasions until Yu had noticed her terrible chopping technique and remembered Yosuke’s dark look about the cooking ability of several members of the crew.  He decided to err on the side of caution and shooed her out of the kitchen, informing her that he could handle it himself and asking if she didn’t have other duties to attend to?  Chie frowned but didn’t argue, soon heading off to get her own work done.  As Yu cooked, he thought back on his day and all of the things he had learned and experienced.  It had been a long time since he had this much fun, and he began to think that maybe he had made the right decision.  He could always write his parents and uncle letting them know he was ok once some time had passed, feeling slightly guilty at knowing how worried they would be once they realized he was missing or had been abducted.  Yu shook such thoughts away, reminding himself again of the boring life ahead of him if he went back.  Besides, he still had a mystery to solve, and each encounter with the Captain only left Yu more and more intrigued. 

Not long afterward, Yu was finished and began dishing out plates for the crew, who began to file into the galley in shifts to quickly eat their food.  Every single one of them expressed astonishment at the taste, some of them not having tasted something so good before in their entire lives.  Between Yu’s sword fighting abilities and his newly discovered talent as a cook, he was quickly growing in estimation in the crew’s eyes.  Once the main crew which included Kanji and Teddie were finished eating, Yu brought plates to Chie and Yukiko who were hanging out in the sickbay.  They often didn’t eat with the rest of the crew and appreciated Yu bringing them their food.  He then brought the three remaining plates to the cabin Yosuke had disappeared to before, knocking before being allowed inside.  He realized this must be the captain’s quarters, a room just large enough for a simple, yet spacious bed, that looked like it had a soft mattress and down pillows.  There was a table in the middle that had a few maps laid out on it which was where Yosuke, Naoto, and Adachi were standing, leaning over one map in particular as they finalized their plans.

“I brought dinner,” Yu said, and Yosuke looked up at him gratefully. 

“I don’t think you all have been introduced,” he said, taking his plate from Yu before motioning at his two companions. 

“This is Adachi, the quarter master.  He’s second in command on the ship.  And Naoto, our sailing master.  She’s in charge of navigation and has provided us our maps.”

“And my books I believe,” Yu said, handing Naoto her plate.  “Thank you for your kindness.  I’ll be sure to return them right away.”

“Take your time,” she said, accepting the plate gracefully.  “Most of the crew are illiterate so there are few I can share my pastime with.  Perhaps we can discuss them once you are finished?”

“I’d like that,” Yu agreed.  He then handed Adachi his plate, watching the man carefully.  Unlike earlier, he seemed friendlier and gave Yu a firm handshake with his free hand.

“Welcome to the crew,” Adachi said.  “Looking forward to working with you.  I saw your fighting earlier – that was impressive.  Of course, you were no match for the captain,” he said with a wry grin, and Yu lightly smiled back.

“Thank you,” he said, still getting that same uneasy vibe. “I will leave you to your work,” he added, bowing slightly before leaving the room.  There was definitely something about the quarter master that seemed off, and Yu couldn’t quite place what it was, especially with his more affable attitude this time.  Yu shook his head before returning to the galley in order to get started on clean up.


	4. Finding His Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu is conflicted over his choice to become a pirate and over his rapidly growing attraction to his captain.

Yu had just finished up with breakfast, a much better tasting gruel than what the crew had been used to that was well seasoned with bits of vegetables and smoked meat mixed in.  He was storing the leftovers for later if anyone was hungry and wiping down the kitchen when he was surprised by Kanji stepping into the galley.  “What can I do for you?” Yu asked, untying the apron he wore in the kitchen and hanging it up on a peg.

“We’re about to attack and board a merchant ship,” Kanji replied.  He was watching Yu carefully.  “Was sent to see if you were ready or if you’d prefer to stay here.”

Yu stilled at his words, suddenly having to face something he had as of yet been able to avoid.  It was one thing to cook for the crew and learn how to run a ship; in a way he could pretend it was any other vessel out at sea and not a pirate ship.  It was another to actively participate in what was truly a crime that could lead to injury or death of the merchants they would be attacking.  Yu felt some of his strength leave him, but looked back at Kanji square in the eye.  “Are they…?” he started to ask, but trailed off.

“Thieves?” Kanji asked.  “Yeah, captain only goes after thieving merchants.  He does his research,” Kanji said, sounding proud.  “This bunch actually stole their wares from a Spanish ship and always mark up their prices,” Kanji explained.

Yu felt a little more resolve at his words – honestly, many of the merchants were no better than pirates themselves – and he nodded to show he understood.  “I’ll meet you on deck,” he said, and Kanji grinned at him.

“Good because we can use that skill of yours,” he nodded.  “The captain will be pleased!”  He turned and walked back up to the deck, completely missing the blush that suddenly creeped onto the silver haired man’s cheeks. 

Yu rapped his knuckles against the counter, wondering why any mention of the captain had that effect on him.  He couldn’t help but feel pleased at the idea Yosuke wanted him in the fight and appreciated his skills, even if he was torn over the fact he would be finally breaking the law.  Yu carefully made his way up to the deck, noting how everyone was scurrying about and preparing for the gunfight and eventual boarding, and spotted Yosuke in the fray wearing his full Jiraiya outfit.  The only thing out of place was his red cloth was around his neck and not his mouth yet, allowing Yu to see the handsome man’s full face.  It took his breath away for a moment, for Yu had almost forgotten how intimidating Yosuke looked with his hat and full gear on since he had grown used to his more casual appearance.  He just seemed so different giving orders to the crew, alive with adrenaline and the whirlwind of activity.  Yosuke was truly in his element and felt a completely different person than the young man who occasionally chatted with him in the galley. 

Yu found himself growing more attached to the more casual young man who was smart and seemed to care about his crew so much, constantly talking about them with a fond tone in his voice.  There was also something to be said about the one in full gear, barking orders and full of restless energy with a dangerous glint in his eye.  Yu didn’t know how both versions could be the same person, and why yet again he was so drawn to the man. 

He bit his lip before making his way over to pick out a sword, carefully selecting one with a good balanced weight for him to use before joining the fray of activity, being directed by Adachi to climb the rigging to help adjust the sail.  Adachi was also barking orders on deck but was more focused on the sailing aspect while Yosuke was getting the boarding crew ready.  They wanted to move in quickly on the merchant ship so they would have the element of surprise.  Yu had gotten surprisingly good at climbing the rigging and moving about the ship, his sea legs finally kicking in now that he was allowed to move about freely, unlike before when he had been confined to his cabin.  He appreciated the hard work and the fresh sea air, and he found that once he had activities to perform it was easier to forget about the fact they would be soon in the middle of a fight.  He just had to focus on one task at a time.

Soon, they could see the ship in the distance, and Yu noted by the flurry of activity on deck that their ship had been spotted as well.  Unfortunately for them, they didn’t have enough time to react, and soon Chie and the gun crew were firing at the other ship, Yu suddenly having flashbacks to when he had been on the receiving end not that long ago.  Just like before, they were aiming for the mast and the other ship’s guns so they couldn’t get away or return fire.  Just like before, everything seemed to move quickly, and before Yu knew it they were being ushered onto the other ship, running across gangplanks and attacking the shell shocked other crew.  Yosuke just as before led the charge, red cloth securely tied around his face and gun and sword in hand, his other sword tied to his waist for when he would switch to dual wielding once he was out of bullets.  Yu found himself temporarily distracted, watching Yosuke dart across the deck and easily handling each merchant that he encountered, firing with a steady hand before making his way up the deck toward the captain of the ship.

His attention was soon grabbed by movement out of the corner of his eye, and Yu quickly ducked just as one of the merchants fired a gun at him.  He then dashed toward the merchant who stared in shock when he realized his attack missed and used his sword to knock the gun out of his hands and kick it away.  He then knocked the back of his head with the flat of his sword, mentally apologizing and feeling slight guilt as he stepped away and moved toward the next one.  He tried to remember that if he didn’t fight, he’d just end up dead instead.  With that in mind he entered the frenzy, razor focused as he weaved between the merchants and pirates clashing with each other on deck.  He bested several merchants, finding it easy since many of them were sailors before they were fighters, quickly disarming them before moving onto the next, until everyone was interrupted by shouts coming from the ship.  He turned his head and spotted a third vessel making its way toward them, the emblem of the Royal Navy clearly emblazoned one of the flags flapping in the wind.  He heard one of the pirates next to him curse, “Shit, it’s Dojima again,” which caused his heart to leap in his chest.  That was his uncle’s ship?

Behind him Yosuke began to call for the crew to return to the ship and to grab what they could in the process, and soon the pirates were rushing toward the ship while Adachi got them ready to set sail.  Just as everyone had returned aboard, the Naval vessel began firing canons at them, with the first round appearing to be warning shots to their relief.  “Make haste!” Yosuke shouted, shoving his cloth down so he could be understood more easily, and soon the mast was adjusted until it could catch the full wind and the ship began to pick up speed for its escape. 

The crew were scattered across the ship, some in the rigging while Chie had returned below deck with others to reload cannons just in case.  Fortunately, Yosuke had invested in a smaller, faster ship that had more maneuverability, so while Dojima’s ship definitely had more cannons and power, they were quickly starting to slip away to their relief.  The Naval vessel fired again, one of the cannonballs hurtling across the deck and taking out part of the railing, knocking one of the pirates off the ship and into the sea.  They didn’t have time to fish the unlucky man out and were honestly unsure if he could have survived such a hit anyway, and they continued to focus on trying to escape.

The other ship was in fast pursuit, also picking up speed as they began to make chase, and from where Yu was at in the rigging he could clearly see both Adachi and Yosuke tensely snapping orders, Yosuke taking over the helm from Naoto so he could have more control over their movement.  Naoto was staring up at the mast, eyes sharp as she studied the way the wind was hitting the sail, and sending him a stream of suggestions for adjustment to ensure they had the best speed.  Yu was directed to grab some of the rope holding the sail in place, tightening it and retying it to adjust in order to catch the wind better, and as he did so he heard the sound of their own cannons firing back at the Naval vessel as Chie began to lead the counterattack.  Everyone’s adrenaline was pumping as they made their escape, especially since while they were gaining distance it was at a marginally slow pace.  Yu couldn’t believe it, but he couldn’t help but pray for the crew to escape his uncle, wondering at how in such a short period of time his priorities could change so much.  He also felt worried as some of the return fire got pretty close to hitting his uncle’s vessel, not wanting harm to fall upon his uncle or the sailors either.  Luckily, possibly due to the distance and speed both ships were moving, they appeared to be having a much more difficult time hitting each other than Yosuke’s ship had against the merchant vessel.

After about an hour of very tense sailing, they appeared to have gotten far enough away from Dojima’s ship to finally slow down from top speed, Yosuke allowing Naoto to take over the helm again as he made his way with Adachi around the deck, taking in any damage the ship had taken from the encounter.  As they worked, Yukiko had already been making her way around the ship as well, checking the crew for injuries and administering first aid.  Now that Yu was no longer needed in the rigging, he made his way down to the galley in order to work on food for the crew, figuring that everyone would be starved after their encounter.  Now that his adrenaline was starting to die down, he realized how tired and sore he felt, and how confused everything had made him.  He really hadn’t had time to evaluate what had happened, but found himself doing so now.  His uncle apparently knew about the Jiraiya pirates and often chased them down, if the reaction on the merchant ship was anything to go by.  Even though Yosuke’s crew protected Inaba where his cousin Nanako lived.  Yu couldn’t make sense of it, and because he knew what a good man his uncle was, he felt conflicted again at his decision to join the crew and participate in the raiding of the merchant vessel.

He sighed, staring down at the stew he was currently stirring, hoping that the hearty broth would re-energize the crew.  His thoughts were interrupted by Chie, who had entered the galley to check on him.  “Yukiko was looking for you – she wanted to make sure you were alright,” Chie said.  “I figured you’d probably be in here.”

“I’m fine,” Yu replied, continuing to stare at the pot.  Chie appraised him for a moment, eyebrows raised.

“You sure?” she asked, and he nodded.  “So what’s got you looking so glum then?” she asked, and Yu turned to look at her.

“I’m just…at war with myself, I guess,” he said.  “I know that the merchants aren’t exactly doing legal activity, but it’s kind of hard to accept we’re doing the right thing either when we’re being chased by the Navy.”

Chie walked over to him, leaning against the wall while eyeing Yu thoughtfully.  She looked around the galley carefully, ensuring no one else was there with them to listen, before turning her attention back to him.  “You know, Yosuke and I felt the same way at first,” she said softly, and Yu looked up at her, her words instantly catching his attention.

“Really?” he asked, leaning forward eagerly without realizing it.

Chie noticed and couldn’t help but roll her eyes.  “Yes,” she replied.  “It took him a long time to decide to take on this path.  He was so frustrated though, about what was happening in Inaba, and basically being an outlaw was the only way he could do anything about it.  The crown wasn’t listening to our complaints so what else could we do?” she said with a shrug.  “It took him a long time to come to terms with that decision, but once he did, he strengthened his resolve and hasn’t looked back since.  He can’t.  The moment he falters is the moment it all falls apart.”  Chie sounded a little sad as she said that, and Yu couldn’t help but look at her more closely.  It was clear how much she cared about him, even if most of the time she seemed to be yelling or bickering with him.

“What do you think?” Yu asked, and Chie looked up at him curiously.  Yu was carefully stirring the stew, not wanting it to burn at the bottom.

“What?” she asked.

Yu regarded her thoughtfully.  “Do you think you both made the right decision?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” Chie replied.  “Our families and friends are much better off.  I would make the same decision again if I had the chance,” she said firmly.  “Plus, out here, I have more opportunities than I ever would at home.”  Yosuke suddenly remembered what Yukiko had told her, about how this was the only way she was able to be a doctor, and couldn’t help but think of Naoto too with all of her knowledge.  Yosuke had helped give them opportunities they wouldn’t have had otherwise. 

They suddenly heard shouting in the distance and looked out at the opening that led down to the galley, watching in amusement as Teddie suddenly dashed by with Kanji hot on his heels.  “How did Teddie join the crew?” Yu suddenly asked, remembering how surprised he had been to see such a young boy on the pirate ship.

Chie’s gaze hardened as she looked away.  “I’m not sure if you want to hear this one,” she said, an edge suddenly to her voice.  Yu turned to look at her, brows furrowed, but he waited patiently for her to speak.  Chie sighed before stepping away from the wall, arms crossed as she tried to find the words.  “Sometimes when we raid ships…the cargo isn’t always…goods.”

Yu felt his grip on the ladle suddenly tighten.  “What do you mean?” he asked, jaw clenched.

“Sometimes the cargo is people.  Children even,” she replied honestly.  “Teddie was one of them.  He didn’t seem to have parents left and was terrified of being left at a port city, so Jiraiya basically adopted him onto the crew.  Since he’s so small, he can easily reach into the cannons to help pack the powder, so we gave him that job in order to make him feel useful.  He looks up to the captain a lot, honestly,” Chie replied, eyes a bit distant.  She then turned back to face Yu.  “Our captain…he really looks out for a lot of people,” she clarified.

Yu was floored at her words, suddenly seeing the boy in a different light.  No wonder everyone put up with his antics.  He looked down at the pot of stew, resolving to give the blond boy a larger portion that afternoon.  “Thank you for letting me know,” he said, and Chie grinned at him. 

“I’ll let Yukiko know that you’re alright,” she said.  “I can’t wait to eat soon – make sure you put in lots of meat!”  Her eyes sparkled as she headed back outside, and Yu shook his head.  This was even more information to work through about the captain, and Yu decided to focus instead on ladling the stew for the crew, knowing that he should have several bowls prepared before ringing the bell to let people know that the food was ready.  Once he did, he fell into the rhythm of ladling bowls and handing it out the crew as they piled in for food, being tied up in that activity for about a half an hour before he dutifully brought some bowls to Chie and Yukiko and the rest to Yosuke’s cabin for the captain, quarter master, and sailing master. 

He walked up, hesitating when he overheard what appeared to be an argument coming from inside.  Yosuke and Adachi’s voices were too low for him to understand completely, but he had a feeling it was probably about what happened earlier that morning.  He knocked on the door and the voices quieted down, and the door was soon opened by Naoto who smiled kindly at him.  “Thank you for the food,” she said, and Yu peered over at Adachi and Yosuke.  The quarter master had an annoyed look on his face while Yosuke merely looked tired.  He had taken off his hat and jacket and looked more like how Yu was used to seeing him.  “Everything alright?” Yu asked, and Yosuke beamed at him. 

Yu felt his heart skip a beat at the bright smile as the captain assured him, “Everything is fine.  You did really well out there today – I spotted you a few times in the fray.  Thank you for lunch – I can’t wait to eat!”  Yu blushed at his praise, eyes darting over to Adachi who was watching both of them with a calculating look.

“Yes, I was pretty impressed,” Adachi said, although he sounded bored.  “It is just a shame our captain was too cowardly and it was a complete waste of time.”

Yosuke shot him an annoyed look and Yu noticed that even Naoto looked fed up.  “Next time we should just fight back – see how well we can take on one of those ships.  It would certainly be something useful if we could commandeer one,” he sneered.  Yu’s face paled at the idea, suddenly picturing his uncle dead or chained up in the brig on his own ship.  Yosuke noticed his panicked expression and firmly took control of the situation.

“You know that’s not our focus, Adachi,” he said pointedly.  “We’re not here to fight the Navy.  We’re here to take goods from dirty merchants and share them with Inaba,” he said.  He sounded strained like it was something they had discussed before.

“Yeah, sure,” Adachi said with an eyeroll, before taking Yu’s soup and heading out.  Yu heard him mutter under his breath, “Like that’s what’s really going on,” before pushing past him and heading back onto the deck, snapping orders as he made his way to his own quarters.

Yu turned back to look at Yosuke, who was running his hand through his hair, pulling his bangs back which gave Yu an even better look at his face and eyes.  His stomach clenched at the sight, and he quickly turned to look at Naoto instead.  “So,” he said, clearing his throat.  “I finished the book.”

Yosuke sat down in his chair and began eating his stew, lost in thought as Naoto’s face lit up.  “And what did you think of _Gulliver’s Travels_?” she asked, interest immediately piqued.

“It was a very entertaining read,” Yu replied, a smile gracing his face.  “Swift certainly has a vast imagination.”

“What is fascinating is trying to figure out exactly who he is criticizing in the work.  I remember when it was released all the articles that followed either praising or criticizing it.  You can certainly tell who believed _they_ were being criticized at least,” she said, eyes sparkling with interest.  They chatted the novel for several moments, before Yu glanced over at Yosuke and asked something that had been on his mind.

“So, how did you come to join the crew?” he asked.  He had heard several stories already, but still hadn’t heard about Naoto.

Yosuke glanced up in surprise, locking eyes with Yu for a moment, before turning to look at Naoto.  Naoto was looking at Yu thoughtfully, head tilted slightly as she came up with a response.  “It is…a rather complicated story to tell,” she said, looking over at Yosuke.  He gave a slow nod and she returned her attention back to Yu.

“I was working for the Navy as an investigator of sorts,” she started, and Yu’s brows rose in confusion.  “I hid my appearance by dressing as a man,” she clarified.  “I was the only daughter of a noble family slowly going into decline, and instead of being forced into a marriage to try to save my family I escaped to make my own life,” she explained.  “I was tasked with trying to figure out who Jiraiya was.  It was a hard task because he had worked very hard to hide that information from the public.  The Navy thought if we discovered his real identity it would be easier to track him down and capture him.”

Yu turned his gaze back to Yosuke, who was idly studying one of the maps on the table and avoiding their gazes.  He could tell by the tense set of his shoulders that hearing this part of the story was difficult for him.  He suddenly remembered Chie’s words as well and her warning not to use the captain’s real name.  “Needless to say, I am very good at my job.  However, right when I tracked down the last piece of information I needed to uncover his past and his identity, my own identity was uncovered and my gender was exposed.  I was ridiculed and expelled from the Navy, and I would have been forced to return home in shame.”

“Except?” Yu asked.

“Except, the Captain had caught wind of my investigation and came to seek me out to see how much I knew.  I confessed that I knew everything and about my situation, and although at this point I did not pose a threat to him any longer, since my word as a woman would hold no weight and I would soon be far away and returned to my home in England, he instead offered me a job on his ship.  They needed a sailing master, you see, and I was a quick study and able to read the maps and perform the mathematical equations necessary for the job.”  She looked at Yu straight in the eyes, and he saw the gratefulness set in them.  “He saw only my potential, not my gender, and held no grudge for me looking into his past,” she explained.  Yosuke looked uncomfortable next to her, but he didn’t contradict her either.  “In that, he won my loyalty.”

Yu glanced over at him, carefully replying, “Our captain seems to be a good man.”

“I believe so,” she nodded, before smiling at Yosuke slightly.  He had a slight blush on his face and appeared to be embarrassed.  “Hopefully that answers some of the questions you have been pondering these past few days,” she added, and Yu blinked at her in surprise.”

“Good at your job indeed,” he muttered, and she laughed. 

“I will be sure to get you the next book to read soon,” she said, before getting up and heading outside.  Yu glanced at Yosuke, who was playing with his spoon resting in his empty bowl of stew.

“Is everything alright?” Yu asked, suddenly remembering Chie’s words about Yosuke being unable to regret the decisions he made.

Yosuke glanced back at him, his serious expression melting back into a light smile.  It was different than his usual, energetic ones, and Yu couldn’t help but feel it was somehow reserved for him.  “Yes, I’m fine,” he said.  “It can be difficult hearing others praise you when you’re nothing but a rapscallion though,” he laughed.

“I feel I must disagree there,” Yu said thoughtfully.  “I’ve been listening to several members of the crew.  And I have to agree with them, if the stories they have been telling me are true.”

“You have been asking about me?” Yosuke asked curiously, and Yu nodded.

“I had to be sure I made the right decision,” he said.

“And did you?” Yosuke asked.  He leaned forward slightly, and Yu suddenly realized the effect his words probably would have on the other young man.

“I’m starting to believe I did,” he replied simply.  He then picked up Yosuke’s empty bowl, flashing him a warm smile before quickly retreating out of the captain’s quarters, face suddenly bright red at his confession.  Especially when he had seen the awed delight cross the other man’s face.  Yu quickly returned to the galley, deciding to bury himself in dishes in order to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. 

The rest of the day, he continued to focus on cleaning the galley, cooking dinner, and other small chores in order to keep his mind off the warm, brown eyes of his captain and how they seemed to stare straight into Yu’s inner thoughts.  By the time he was finished and stepped back out onto the deck it was dark outside, the night sky opening up overhead like thousands of gleaming jewels shining above him.  It was a clear, cool night, and Yu found himself making his way to the upper deck, not wanting to find a hammock below deck quite yet.  The rest of the crew would often be up for another hour or so, playing cards and chatting before bed while the night shift settled into their duties for the evening, so it was often a bit rowdy before people finally crawled into one of the hammocks to sleep.  Yu usually tried to creep in after most of them slept, since he didn’t know how to relate to many of them still.  Kanji and Teddie he got along with, but he often would spend time with Chie and Yukiko or Naoto who had their own small quarters to share away from the men during that time.

He was surprised to find Yosuke already sitting up there, leaning against the railing as he stared up at the night sky with his arms crossed behind his head.  He sat up when he noticed Yu, immediately scooting over and motioning for him to join.  Yu made his way over, carefully kneeling next to the captain before stretching out his legs and also leaning back.  “I feel I never paid attention to the stars until coming out to sea,” Yu said thoughtfully.  “Back home they were often covered by the trees on my estate.”

Yosuke hummed in response, before admitting, “I didn’t either.  But now, I like to see them every night.”

“Why is that?” Yu asked, and Yosuke tilted his head while folding his hands in his lap.

“I think I remind myself that while I am still able to see this every night, it means everyone else is still safe,” Yosuke said thoughtfully.  Yu had a feeling there was still an underlying meaning to his words that he wasn’t quite ready to tell him yet, and he thought back to Naoto’s story about how Yosuke was trying to hide his real identity.  Yu still didn’t know where Yosuke had come from in Inaba and what kind of a family life he had.  He was starting to suspect based on certain actions and knowledge Yosuke had that he probably was more well off than he let on, but he could see why he would try to hide that to the crew especially.  Yu was having a hard enough time fitting in as is – the captain certainly wouldn’t want that as a barrier with the crew.

“It’s certainly a beautiful view,” Yu replied.  “I think for a lot of us…it stands for freedom,” he admitted.  “All the stories I’ve heard so far…it seems what you do is grant people freedom to chase their dreams.  It’s nice,” he said.

Yosuke was staring at him for a moment, before returning his gaze to the stars.  “Then, what’s your dream?” he asked curiously, and Yu drew his legs up to his chest before crossing his arms over them. 

“I’m still not sure,” he said.  “I think…getting away from my family seeing me as a marriage pawn is a great first step though.”

“I’m sure they see you as more than that,” Yosuke replied pointedly, and Yu sighed.

“You’re probably right, but it can be hard to remember that sometimes,” he admitted.  “I think…maybe just learning what my place in the world will be now,” he said thoughtfully.  “I never had a choice before, you know?”

Yosuke appeared to be mulling over his words, and after a few minutes he said softly, “I don’t doubt that you will.”  They then sat in silence for a bit longer, enjoying each other’s presence and sitting close together for warmth in the chill night air.  Yu didn’t know how long Yosuke had already been out there, or what thoughts were running through his head, but he was starting to think that maybe he was hoping his place would be to become the man Yosuke told those thoughts to.

‘That would be nice,’ he thought to himself, before Yosuke finally got up to head to his quarters.  He silently helped Yu up, flicking a grin at him before heading down to the main deck.  Yu sighed internally, not looking forward to curling in the main quarters shared by the rest of the crew, and hoped that most of them would already be asleep by now.  He couldn’t help but allow his eyes to flicker across Yosuke’s strong back as he followed him, noting his arms toned by years of activity on the ship, shoulders broad although narrower than his own since Yosuke was a slightly smaller man.  It didn’t seem to stop him from exuding a large presence, however, and even as he walked down in front of him, Yu could see the confidence in his step and how he carried himself.  He remembered Chie’s comment about how he had struggled to decide to become a pirate, and wondered how long it had taken him to adopt the Jiraiya persona in front of the crew.  It seemed so natural, and such a part of him, so it was hard to believe at one time he had struggled with it.  Yu suddenly found himself glad that Yosuke had hardened his resolve, and thought that confidence suited him.  He decided that his goal would be to become someone Yosuke could rely on, just as he relied on Chie and other members of the crew, and hoped that one day he would learn the full story about the enigmatic captain.


	5. The Captain's Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu finally gets to learn more about the enigmatic captain.

The next day, they docked the _Garudyne_ at a small port city so they could stock up on supplies and repair the damage to the ship.  Okina wasn’t too far from Inaba and was pretty friendly to Yosuke’s crew since they often smuggled supplies in to them as well.  Thus, the lumber they needed for the ship repairs was actually being cut and donated to them which really reduced the repair time.  Kanji was the one who oversaw all of the ship repairs, for he was handy both with the woodwork and sewing any tears in the sails.  While he oversaw the repairs, the crew took turns staying on watch on the ship and getting much coveted shore leave so they could spend some of their earnings and unwind away from the cramped quarters of the ship.

Yu was given a budget for food by Naoto who was in charge of the funds along with being the sailing master, and he and Chie were travelling around in the marketplace picking out food supplies for the next leg of their journey.  Yu enjoyed the challenge of getting what they needed while also trying to haggle prices down so he could afford some more spices for the galley.  Chie was pretty impressed, and was very helpful both as a companion and as another pair of arms to help carry the food.  Yu was amazed by the gunner’s strength and could definitely see how Chie managed to garner her respect on the ship.  While they were working on gathering food supplies, Naoto and Yukiko were working on getting other kinds of supplies to restock the sickbay and goods like ink and parchment paper for Naoto’s work.  Yosuke and Adachi, meanwhile, had headed to see their contact in town in order to deliver goods to help the townspeople along with personal gifts of rum and tobacco.

After Yu and Chie had wrapped up their supply orders, carrying some of the smaller items with the bigger orders going to be delivered to the ship later, Chie left to go find Yukiko to spend time with her on shore while Naoto joined Kanji and Teddie on the ship for watch.  Yu had been invited to join Chie and Yukiko as well, but didn’t want to intrude.  Instead, he wandered along the streets of Okina, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the port city and all of the different sights and sounds.  Back home, he often didn’t get to go into town and mainly stayed at his estate or visited the surrounding estates of people as wealthy as his own family.  It was a boring existence spent doing the same thing day in and out and meeting with the same families.  This was a city in a whole different part of the world, new and exciting and so utterly different from anything he had ever experienced before.  The food and the smells especially were new, and Yu found himself stopping at some of the different stalls in the market offering dishes he hadn’t tried before with ingredients native to the Americas, and he began to wonder how he could incorporate some of these new flavors into his own cooking.

Yu was thoroughly enjoying himself, and it had completely slipped his mind that he was on his own without another companion to enjoy it with, until he suddenly spotted his captain up ahead similarly enjoying his freedom in town.  It was almost as if they were drawn together, because around the very same time their eyes met, and Yosuke shot him a boyish grin before weaving his way through the crowd toward him.  Yu’s breath caught in his throat, for just like on the ship Yosuke was dressed casually and looked like any other sailor enjoying shore time with his white linen tunic, casually loose around the neck showing off the top of his tone chest, and his tan breeches and forest green boots.  Yu, meanwhile, had finally adopted more casual clothing himself, although he preferred darker colors and wore a gray tunic with a dark gray vest and black breeches and his boots that he held onto since they were perfectly fitted to his feet.  No one paid Yosuke any mind as he made his way to Yu, and the gray haired man had a feeling he preferred it that way.  Here, Yosuke had his own kind of freedom where he wasn’t as tied to the duties and responsibilities of being a captain.

“Let me buy you a drink,” he said, grinning at Yu as he slung his arm around his shoulder.  Yu was surprised by how familiar he was acting, and Yosuke assured him, “None of the crew ever travel to this part of town – they’re all in the seedier side closer to port gambling, drinking, and visiting the bordellos.  I know of a place we can just relax and be ourselves.”

Yu let himself be drawn away by the captain, both inherently trusting him and also excited to spend time alone with him.  Their moments on the ship were few and far between and could be interrupted at any moment.  Yosuke had also never approached him like this before, and he was interested to see where things would lead.  Yosuke took him into a tavern that was pretty empty since it was still earlier in the day, sitting Yu down at a table as he went up to order at the bar, bringing back two mugs of rum and setting one in front of him as he slid in the chair across from him.  “So, how have you been enjoying your shore leave?” Yosuke asked, eyes twinkling as he regarded Yu.  He took a slow sip of his drink, eyes never breaking contact, and Yu felt himself blush.

“It’s been quite enjoyable,” Yu confessed.  “I’ve never been able to just wander a city before.  And everything is so new and exciting here.”  Yosuke had a fond expression on his face as he watched Yu talk, and leaned his head on his hand as he listened.

“Just wait until we finally see Inaba.  The town is smaller but it’s so bright and vibrant,” Yosuke said.  His expression took on a distant look, and Yu could tell he was sorting through his memories as he spoke.  Yu bit his lip for a moment, wanting to ask, to finally know more about the enigmatic captain, but afraid to pry.  Yosuke noticed, however, and raised his brows before asking, “What’s on your mind?”

“I wanted to know more about you,” Yu admitted.  “From your own words instead of the words of others.  I know nothing about your background or where you come from, although you’ve gathered much about my own.”  Throughout their talks, Yu had told Yosuke about his family and how trapped he had felt.  Something that must sound so cliché to the captain by now based on the stories he’d heard from some of his other companions on the ship.

Yosuke took a deep breath before then taking an even deeper sip of rum.  He wiped away some of the residue from his lips before glancing around at the empty tavern.  He scratched the back of his head and said, voice only slightly tinted with a tone of nervousness, “I trust you so I’ll tell you.  But you must not speak to anyone about this, other than Chie or myself.”

“I promise,” Yu said, leaning forward eagerly.

Yosuke leaned back in his seat, drumming his fingers on the table as he looked up, gathering his thoughts.  He then lowered his head until he was looking at Yu again.  “I think you may have already suspected this, but I am the son of a wealthy family in Inaba.  My family name is Hanamura,” he explained.  The name sounded familiar to Yu, and he had a feeling his parents had probably mentioned them when explaining what households would be acceptable for him to visit in town.  “The stories I’m sure you heard from Kanji and Chie are mostly true.  Being a young man of means and education in town, I grew frustrated by how the governor treated everyone.  He heavily taxed the townspeople and because my father had spoken up about it, he had become an enemy to him.  The governor was constantly trying to antagonize him or manipulate people around them to turn against my father.  It was starting to harm his business.  Between that, and seeing the people suffering when I would go about in the streets, I decided to do something,” Yosuke explained.

“I knew that the crown wouldn’t do anything.  My father and the Kujikawa’s and other influential families in town that actually cared about Inaba had all tried to write to the crown to little effect.  I wasn’t sure what I could do, but when I heard that the governor was planning on framing my father for some embezzling crime that I am quite certain he was in fact the one guilty of, I knew I had to act fast.  I carefully hid my appearance, because I knew if people knew it was the son of the Hanamura’s behind it my family could suffer as a result, and went into town, gathering up supporters from the lower and middle classes who were sick of their treatment, and ran the governor out of town.  The Kujikawa’s were the most influential family left, and their granddaughter Rise who is also a childhood friend of ours knew what I had done, so they basically took over the governorship in his absence and Rise has been running the town ever since.  It allows me to slip her goods and supplies without anyone finding out my true identity.”

Yosuke paused to take another sip of his drink before continuing.  “After running off the governor, I was worried that the people who had supported me would get in trouble for what they had done.  They hadn’t the privilege that I did to hide their identities.  I wanted to pay them back for their help by protecting them, while also continuing to protect Inaba.  My parents helped me come up with a cover story that I was running a merchant ship for father’s business, and I bought the _Garudyne_ and hired on those who helped me run off the governor and any others that wanted to make a different life for themselves on as my crew.  To my surprise, Chie, who had been a great help during the riot we caused to overthrow the governor, asked to come too.  Her family wasn’t as well off as mine, and I think her parents encouraged her to do it knowing they could never provide the life for her that she deserved.  And this way she wouldn’t end up being a burden on them as well.  At that point I perfected my disguise into Captain Jiraiya and became a pirate.”

“So, you hide your true name in order to protect your parents?” Yu asked, and Yosuke tilted his head.

“The reasons are two fold.  One is to protect my parents and to hold up our cover story.  The other is because the crew is loyal to Captain Jiraiya who they see as their equal.  If they knew I was just another upper class man from a well off family, I probably wouldn’t have as much respect,” Yosuke explained.  “And half the crew isn’t loyal to me as is – they came aboard with Adachi.  So, I have to carefully hone my persona in front of them in order to retain some respect.”

“Why did you bring them onto your crew?” Yu asked curiously.  He didn’t much like Adachi and the rest and had always wondered why Yosuke kept them around.  He then realized he hadn’t tried any of the rum yet and took a taste, surprised by how sweet it was.  It was his first time trying rum since on the ship they mainly drank beer and it wasn’t something he had back home.  It still did the trick, however, and he felt its relaxing effects soon after he tasted it.

“I had no choice.  Most of my crew had no sailing experience, including myself.  I needed real sailors – real pirates – if I was to be successful in my plan.  I wanted to protect Inaba since they didn’t have the protection of the Navy after running the governor out of town; they decided we were on our own.  And I needed a way to supply them,” Yosuke explained.  Yu didn’t understand how that could be so when he knew his uncle and cousin still lived in Inaba and the fact that his uncle was part of the Navy.  But, he hadn’t revealed that connection yet, and while Yosuke was being honest with him, he didn’t know how he would take that bit of information so he kept it quiet for now.  “Adachi can be a pain in the ass, but he’s got a lot of useful experience and really helped turn us into a real pirate crew.  I wouldn’t be where I was today without him.”

Yu sighed.  While it may be true, he still didn’t like the man very much.  Instead, he decided to change topics.  “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that, Captain.  It really means a lot,” he said honestly, and Yosuke’s face took on a soft expression as he regarded him.

“When it’s just us, you can call me Yosuke,” he replied.  “I know Chie probably threatened you to silence, but it’ll be our little secret.”  He winked at Yu, causing him to blush at the familiarity.  “I don’t really have friends other than Chie on the ship for obvious reasons, so it’s nice to have another person I can confide in.  One that isn’t likely to yell at me at least,” he added, and Yu suddenly felt that odd twisty feeling in his gut that often happened when Yosuke looked at him in certain ways.  He felt himself drawn to the brunet, felt his normally carefully retained guard drop.

“I’d like that,” Yu said, wishing his flushed cheeks would cool off.  Yosuke leaned a bit closer forward over the table, and Yu found himself drawing forward as well, as if hypnotized by his warm, brown eyes.

“And I’d like to continue to get to know you better,” Yosuke added, hand reaching out and covering Yu’s, continuing to stare Yu in the eye as if asking if it was alright.  Yu’s mouth opened slightly, he wasn’t sure if it was out of surprise or anticipation or a mix of both, and he responded by opening his palm, allowing Yosuke to link their fingers together.  He was struck both by how warm his captain’s hand was, and by how nice the rough callouses on his fingers from years on the sea felt as they brushed along his hand.  Yu was starting to wonder at the shift in mood and found his eyes darting to Yosuke’s mouth, lips surprisingly smooth considering their occupation consisted of saltwater air and constant wind, and Yu vaguely wondered if he did something to keep them looking so smooth and velvety looking. 

Yosuke appeared to be appraising his reaction, and when he saw the dart of Yu’s eyes he leaned forward even closer.  Before he could say anything, however, they were interrupted as the door to the tavern opened and a few locals made their way in, heading immediately to the bar as they loudly talked amongst each other.  Although they didn’t appear to pay any attention to the two men sitting at the table, Yosuke glanced out the window and saw how low the sun was getting in the sky and sighed in disappointment, leaning back and reluctantly letting go of Yu’s hand.  “It’s getting late.  We both have to return to the ship soon,” he commented.  They both had duty that evening since they had to take care of supplies during the day.

Yu also looked disappointed, and realized that his hand was still tingling from where Yosuke had been holding it moments ago.  Yosuke glanced back at him, noting the slight frown of disappointment on his face, and laughed.  “We can pick up where we left off next time we’re in port,” he promised, giving Yu another wink that cause his heart to skip a beat.  “I do believe you’re in charge of dinner tonight though.  Wouldn’t want to let our sailors go hungry, now would we?”

“Certainly not,” Yu replied, standing up to follow him out the door.  He then paused for a moment, before quietly calling out, “Yosuke.”

The young man froze, before turning to face him, his expression showing both surprise and wonder at the fact Yu had used his name.  “Yu?” he asked.  “What is it?”  Yu suddenly found he liked the sound of his name on the other man’s lips as well.

“You promise…that there’ll be another time?  Where we can continue?”  Yu was surprising himself by this sudden act of boldness, but he couldn’t help himself.  He didn’t want whatever this was to end here in this tavern, and he wanted to see where things could potentially go.  He had never been as attracted to anyone as he was his Captain, and if the other man was attracted to him as well?

“Is that what you want?” Yosuke asked, and Yu could tell by the way his eyes were staring him down that he was feeling hopeful by the sudden turn of events.  Yu supposed he hadn’t really given Yosuke much indication that he appreciated Yosuke’s affections until the moment he had allowed him to hold his hand.

“Yes,” Yu said honestly, staring Yosuke in the eyes and hoping he could understand all the roiling emotion the other man had been causing him to feel.  Something must have come through, because it was Yosuke’s turn to suddenly blush.

“Then I promise,” he replied.  “In fact, I’ll make sure next time there’s no way we’ll be interrupted.”  He flashed a grin at him before turning and heading out the tavern door, leaving Yu in turmoil for a moment as he stopped to gather his feelings together.  He supposed his job was to be ready to accept those advances when it finally became time.  He let out a long breath before making his way out the tavern door, hurrying to catch up with his captain as they made their way back to the ship.  Along the way they returned to much safer topics, discussing the supplies Yu had gotten that day and his plans for the crew’s dinner.  While many of the crew would eat out on the town, those that were still on duty needed to be fed.  If they both walked a little closer than they had previously, neither of them noticed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also please check out my good friend Yu Narumura's [fanart](https://yunarumura.tumblr.com/post/181754648098/captain-jiraiyapirate-yosuke-from-this-story-by) that he made of Captain Jiraiya. He did an amazing job and I love it ^^


	6. Mutiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu wakes up to something odd happening on the ship.

Yu woke up to an odd scuffling sound occurring above deck.  After staying several days in port at Okina, wrapping up repairs and getting the last of their supplies in order, they had finally set sail again.  They had been out at sea for two days and everyone had fallen back into routine after days of freedom in the small city, so the sudden change in what Yu was used to had managed to draw him out from his slumber.  He was a pretty light sleeper to begin with so it wasn’t surprising that the odd sounds, although light, had disturbed him from his sleep.  As Yu blinked his groggy eyes awake, he was struck by another realization.  The sleeping quarters were abnormally silent.  He sat up and looked around, realizing that although day shift should all be in their hammocks with their snores providing background noise, there were very few men sleeping in there with him.  A few were similarly waking up like he was while two heavier sleepers were still passed out.

That’s when Yu realized some of the scuffling sounds sounded louder, with muffled grunts and thuds occurring as well, as if something or someone was being shoved onto the deck above.  Yu immediately felt the same fear creep into his heart that he had felt all those weeks ago when the merchant ship he had been on had been rocked by cannon fire.  Somehow, though, the quiet noise was even more eerie and had him on edge.  He sat up and slid on his boots, noting that the other sailors who were awake were doing the same.  Those close to their sleeping shipmates were trying to wake them up as well.  Yu, however, was too impatient to wait for them and quietly made his way to the deck, wondering if they were being boarded by another ship and questioning why it wasn’t louder or why they hadn’t been awakened if that was the case.  What he saw when he poked his head up chilled him to the bone.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness on deck, but once they did he felt his heart jolt.  All around him members of the crew where scuffling with each other, former comrades locked in combat that mainly consisted of wrestling each other since many didn’t appear to have time to grab weapons.  Several had already been wrestled to the ground and were tied up, and as Yu’s eyes swept across the deck he was able to tell there was a distinct difference between both groups.  One was heavily comprised of Adachi’s men, while the other that was being tied up appeared to be those loyal to Yosuke.  Yu’s heart sank when he realized that his friends were among those already tied up, Chie struggling with her bonds with a gag around her mouth, while Naoto and Yukiko were similarly tied up nearby.  Kanji was still fighting off a group of them, desperately trying to keep the traitorous sailors away from Teddie who was crouched against the wall.  He was putting up a valiant fight and had the advantage of his height and strength, but Yu could tell he would soon be overrun.  He had been about to go join him in order to try to help, when his eyes finally fell on the worse scene of all.

Adachi and one of his henchmen had the captain wrestled to the ground, and it was obvious he had been yanked out of his bed by the attire of his clothing.  He hadn’t even had time to put on his boots, let alone his breeches.  Adachi had one foot on his back while he tightly tied Yosuke’s hands together with rope, and Yu realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that Yosuke must have desperately struggled because there were cuts and bruises already appearing on his exposed skin.  Adachi appeared to be taunting him because Yu could tell he was whispering something in his ear and saw the look of dismay cross his face.  It was at that point Yu snapped.  He dashed onto the deck, making a beeline straight for Adachi who looked up in surprise, decking one of the sailors who tried to get in his way to oppose him. 

The man barely slowed him down, and Yu had almost reached Adachi who definitely looked astonished and a little unnerved by his single-minded mission when he was stopped by three more sailors who stepped in to oppose him.  Yu heard Yosuke shout his name, obviously trying to snap him out of it, but the silver haired man was too enraged to listen.  He immediately entered the scuffle, throwing off the first man who tried to oppose him before getting knocked back by the next.  He rolled out of the way as two of them tried to pin him down, kicking one in the gut as he scrambled to get back up again.  Yu was already breathing heavily and wished he had his sword to fight with, since he wasn’t used to this kind of melee brawl style of fighting. 

One of the sailors he was fighting grabbed him from behind, and he just barely managed to throw him off when the other two grabbed his arms again and shoved him to the ground.  Adachi began laughing as Yu struggled to push them off, losing the battle as they began to tie him up.  They tightly tied the knot, causing the rough rope to cut into his skin and cut off his circulation as he continued to struggle.  He stared up at Adachi balefully, before turning his gaze apologetically to Yosuke who stared back at him in concern.  Not long afterward, the fight was over, with even Kanji failing to fight them off due to the suddenness of the surprise attack.  Adachi and his men had cowardly attacked while most of the crew was asleep, so they never really stood a chance.

Once the fight was over, those tied up were dragged together while Yosuke was forced to his feet.  Somehow, he managed to retain some of his pride, in spite of his state of dress and injuries.  Along with the cuts and bruises along his arms and legs, he also had a pretty nasty gash on his forehead causing blood to drip down the side of his face.  Yu desperately hoped that particular injury wasn’t as bad as it looked and was just the result of facial injuries tending to bleed more profusely.  Now that he had things under control, Adachi began pacing in front of the captain, his hat in hand, looking like he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.  “I’m sure many of you are confused as to what’s going on,” he started, “and I’m here answer all of your questions.”  Yu felt frustrated anger burn in his chest at his gloating tone, desperately working away at the rope keeping him bound and ignoring the pain as it bit into his skin.

“Your captain is a fraud,” Adachi began.  “He’s filled your head with these lies that he’s somehow a noble pirate, helping the people of Inaba by sharing stolen goods with them.  When the truth is he’s been hoarding it away for himself.”

Yosuke appeared to have a burst of energy at those words and tried desperately to pull away from the two sailors holding him at bay.  “You liar!” he shouted, eyes glaring at him.  “You know that isn’t true!  You’ve been with me as we delivered those goods to the people of Inaba!”

“Oh really?” Adachi asked, tapping his hand on the hilt of his sword.  “And what proof do you have of that?” he asked, a cruel grin gracing his lips.  “I’ve never heard anyone in Inaba say anything confirming those words.  In fact, as far as I can tell, they all seem to hate Captain Jiraiya and his crew.” 

Yosuke was silent at that, and there was a sudden murmur from several amongst the crew, even in the area of loyal sailors tied up around Yu.  It was like the breath had been knocked out of him, and Yu knew that due to the secrets Yosuke was hiding, he couldn’t really reveal why the townspeople didn’t know about his selfless acts.  Or have any proof to back up his claims even if he did reveal the truth.  Their captain was screwed, and the realization was quickly dawning on him.  Adachi slid Yosuke’s hat onto his head, grinning cockily at him as he declared, “From this day forward, I’ll be your new captain.  Those that refuse my leadership will be thrown in the brig.  As for you, traitor,” he said, turning to Yosuke.  “There’s a nice deserted island over there with your name on it.”

Yu felt his heart stop, and next to him he heard Chie choke on her gag as she gasped in dismay.  To his surprise, Yosuke stared Adachi down, appearing calm as he was told his fate.  Being stuck on a deserted island was practically a death sentence, especially if there was no fresh water or food.  Yosuke was basically being sentenced to starvation.  “Please, don’t harm the rest of the crew,” Yosuke said, staring Adachi down, and he snorted.

“Their only crime was being misled by you,” he said.  “Even if they stupidly maintain their loyalty to you, no harm will befall them.”  He said it with a sneer, and while Yu didn’t much believe him, Yosuke seemed to have gotten something out of it and nodded.  Yu honestly didn’t really care what happened to him at this point, and was desperately trying to think of something to somehow save the brave young man.  Although his mind was racing, he really didn’t have many options at this point, and he could only look on as the two sailors dragged Yosuke over to the gangplank and forced him to step onto it.  Yu heard the quiet sound of sobbing nearby, and realized that both Yukiko and Teddie had started crying.  He felt his heart break at the thought of the young man having to witness his hero face something so awful, all of the crew really who had been given such opportunities by the kind captain.  Yosuke walked onto the gangplank with his head held high, turning only at the last minute with his eyes meeting each and every crew member that he was close to, before stopping at Yu.  To his astonishment, the captain looked apologetic, like what was happening was somehow his fault.  Yu stared back at him, shaking his head firmly, and Yosuke shot him a sad smile before stepping off the plank and disappearing from view, the resounding splash that followed the last indication they had of the status of their captain.

Yu suddenly realized that he was also crying, hot tears trailing down his cheeks as he angrily stared at the space formerly occupied by Yosuke, wishing somehow that this was only a bad dream and he’d wake up soon in his hammock.  Unfortunately, as each member of the crew that had been tied up was asked one by one where their loyalty lay, he realized that this was no nightmare.  As he and the others still loyal to Yosuke got dragged down into the brig, he felt his chest tighten as he realized that no, this was very much real, and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever see Yosuke Hanamura again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had another lovely fanart from Harenchiou [on tumblr](http://harenchiou.tumblr.com/post/182062198310/very-very-self-indulgent-sketch) that you should definitely check out! They did an amazing job - I was floored when I saw this stunning piece posted!


	7. Inaba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and the others are stranded in Inaba by Adachi and the mutinous crew.

The brig was mostly silent, save for Yukiko that stood by her cell doors and demanded the stony faced guards to bring them supplies so she could tend to the injured.  She also pointed out that with her locked up there was no one to attend to the injured above, which caused one of the guards to sneer at her before demanding she sit down before she was punished for her insolence.  He then muttered over how a woman should know her place, while the other pirate standing watch with him snickered.  His words shocked Yukiko who finally sat down while looking a little shaken.  There had certainly been sailors who had been unhappy with having female crew aboard, but under Yosuke the women had always been treated with respect.

Yu, however, was too caught up in his roiling feelings to fully take notice of what had happened.  If he had, it may have pushed him over the edge again.  He was already experiencing a cold rage that he was struggling to keep under control.  His body was taught, and he had completely drowned out the mix of exhaustion, defeat, and sad anger most of them around him was experiencing.  Kanji also seemed pretty angry, although he was doing his best to also comfort Teddie who had curled up into a broken ball on the floor next to him.  Yukiko was still highly irritated at being unable to perform her duties, and Chie was seething, especially after the man had spoken so rudely to Yukiko.  Chie had an arm around Yukiko for comfort while shooting daggers at the man, memorizing his face just in case.  Naoto, meanwhile, had her eyes closed and was doing her best to try to calculate the speed and direction the boat was traveling based on where they were positioned on the ship.  She was almost in a trance she was so focused, hoping that it would help her later have at least a ballpark calculation of where they were at.  Adachi and the mutinying crew had displaced them from their route overnight, and without seeing her maps she wasn’t quite sure where they had ended up.  Whatever knowledge she could gather would be crucial toward any attempt of recovering their captain later.

After an unknown period of time, the ship finally began to slow down, and they could hear above deck the usual hustle and bustle that occurred as they were pulling into port.  Since they could not see any light in the brig, they were completely unaware of how much time had passed.  Yu’s rage had cooled to sorrow, although he kept a kernel of anger close to his heart.  He would never forgive Adachi for his trickery and had vowed to find a way to fix things.  After things had settled down above deck, they were finally summoned, and were led in a single line up to the deck.  Naoto was taking note of the early morning sun while Yu scanned the deck until he spotted Adachi, seething again when he saw the smug man wearing his captain’s hat.  Adachi smirked upon seeing them and walked up.  “This is sadly where we part ways.  Unfortunately for you, Inaba has been rather barren of ships after your traitorous captain ran off the governor, so it looks like it’s the end for any little plans you may have been forming.”

Upon hearing the name, Yu’s eyes immediately trailed to the town that had been his original planned destination.  Just as Yosuke had said, the buildings were brightly painted and the small town looked livelier than Okina.  ‘If only I could have seen it with him,’ Yu thought with a jolt as he was suddenly shoved forward.  They were being forced down the gangplank and onto the dock, while curious passersby cautiously looked on.  Yu could tell that a few of the crew that had originally fought on the side of Yosuke but switched loyalty upon being told of his supposed misdeeds looked relieved, and he had a feeling the only reason they were being let go was probably due to their insistence.  Adachi still needed enough crew to sail the ship, and he couldn’t afford to alienate too many.  Yu took careful notice of the ones who appeared relieved or nervous, just in case, although Adachi’s words about the lack of ships honestly haunted him.  True to Adachi’s word, there didn’t appear to be any other ship in the harbor, and he could tell by the panicked expressions on his friend’s faces that the awful man probably wasn’t bluffing.  Once everyone had offboarded, Adachi’s crew swiftly drew up the gangplank before beginning to pull out of the harbor, leaving the crew still loyal to their desolate captain stranded with only the clothes on their backs.  They were also still tied up and honestly the group was momentarily at a loss.

“I guess…we should go see Rise,” Chie finally spoke up, and Yu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

“As in…Kujikawa Rise?” he asked, his throat suddenly dry.

Chie tilted her head at him.  “Oh yeah, you were supposed to come here originally, weren’t you?” she asked.  “Rise’s the person Yosuke left in charge in his absence.”

Yu’s mouth dropped open.  That…wasn’t something he had expected.  He vaguely remembered Yosuke mentioning the name before, but he had been so wrapped up in his story that the name hadn't clicked. Rise was the woman his parents had been hoping for him to marry.  And here she was, friends with the man who had stolen his heart.  “That is a fantastic idea.  Rise will certainly point us in the right direction,” Yukiko agreed.

“And she should have access to some maps,” Naoto quietly added, obviously making mental calculations as she pieced together the data she had been collecting.  “I have a few theories to where our captain may have been stranded but…I need to be able to verify them.”

“Before that…we should probably get out of these,” Kanji pragmatically stated, tugging at his bonds pointedly as he spoke.  The townspeople were obviously still eyeing them warily, especially since most of them were pretty beat up looking as well.

“Kanji has a point,” Yu agreed.  They all took turns tugging at the knots in each other’s bonds, slowly but surely loosening them and pulling them off, until everyone was finally free. 

Teddie immediately beelined for Yu and buried his head against his arm while clinging to it, whispering quietly, “I miss captain.” 

Yu gently placed a hand on his head, saying firmly, “We’ll get him back…somehow.”  They then made their way through town, the people carefully skirting away from them, abnormally silent as they watched their passage, although a few people seemed to notice those that had grown up in Inaba and looked confused over what was going on.  Finally, they reached a sizable manor in the middle of Inaba that obviously housed a family more well off than many of the surrounding homes.  It was a neat, brick house that was sturdily built, and Yu could tell by peering through the drawn curtains in the windows that it was elegantly decorated on the inside.  Nothing too garish and showing, from what he could tell, showing that whoever decorated had exquisite taste.  Chie knocked on the door and a moment later a servant opened it for them.  Upon seeing the group standing outside, and the state they were in, the servant ushered them inside before rushing to grab his lady.  Moments later, a lovely woman with long brown hair rushed in the room, dressed surprisingly in the latest fashion that had been in London when Yu had left; he wasn’t sure how someone in the Americas could be so up to date; even in the country where he lived people weren’t that fashion forward.

“What happened?” she asked worriedly, while motioning for her servants to grab some medical supplies.  Her eyes scanned the group before her voice raised an octave.  “Where’s Y-Jiraiya?” she asked.

“Our captain has been abandoned on some island in the middle of nowhere,” Chie replied angrily.  Yukiko, meanwhile, upon seeing the medical supplies, began to spring into action.  Naoto, meanwhile, slipped away to Rise’s study in order to do some research.  Teddie was now clinging to Rise, who was gently smoothing his hair as Chie and Kanji explained the situation to her.

Yu, meanwhile, quietly observed, looking over Rise’s home in surprise, while thinking how if things had been different he may have been lord over this house in another life.  Rise so far seemed like a strong and capable woman, certainly a much better match than what he had been dreading on his trip over.  But he found in spite of her striking beauty, all he could think about was the man who had stolen his heart, and how desperately he wanted to save him.  He tuned into the conversation again when he heard something that caught his attention.

“The only thing I could think of is going to the admiral for help,” Rise admitted.  “He is in town right now which means his ship has to be close to shore.” 

Chie looked frustrated.  “Why would the admiral help us?” she snapped, and Yu smoothly stepped in.

“I’ll go,” he said, causing Chie and Kanji to stare at him in surprise.

“No offense, but what do you think you can do?” Kanji asked bluntly.

To his surprise, Rise suddenly smiled.  “I know you,” she said, a slight lilt in her tone which caused Yu to blush.

“You do?” Chie asked, looking even more stunned.  “But this is his first time in Inaba,” she pointed out.

Rise giggled.  “Out of respect for our endearing captain, I will keep that information to myself,” she said, giving Yu a knowing smile.  “However, I can guarantee that he has the best chance of convincing Admiral Dojima.”

Yu did feel a little bit of anxiety at the thought of facing his uncle, but he knew it was something he had to do.  “If someone can show me where his residence is, I would appreciate it,” he said hesitantly, and Yukiko immediately interrupted.

“Not until I check on you first,” she said, tugging him aside and quickly assessing his wounds.  Anything that needed immediate treatment she swiftly took care of, while Rise sidled up to him once Yukiko had stepped away.

“I’ll show you the way.  With me you won’t experience any problems,” she said cheerfully.  Chie and Yukiko both shot her suspicious looks, while Rise grinned at them and waved as she dragged Yu out the door.  Yu walked a bit stiffly, not sure how to take Rise’s friendliness, especially since she seemed to understand the situation he was in.  Once they were far enough away from her home, Rise gently released her hold on him, before stretching and looking thoughtfully at the sky.

“Yosuke and I converse a lot through letters,” she said honestly.  “He sent me a rather interesting one recently.  Do you know what it said?”  She glanced at him.

“I…can hazard a guess,” Yu admitted.

Rise smiled.  “In the letter he apologized…while also not apologizing at all,” she explained with a twinkle in her eye.  “It seems he had fallen for my fiancé, and while he did feel a bit guilty at first when he realized who you were, he quickly got over it,” she laughed.  “I’m glad though, that you seem to make him so happy.  Yosuke has done so much for Inaba and truly deserves it.”

Yu was caught off guard by her frankness, and by the fact she didn’t seem to mind.  “Are you sure?” he asked, and Rise tilted her head at him.

“Of course I am.  I can tell how much you care about him – it would be kind of a waste to marry a man who’s in love with someone else, don’t you think?” she asked.

Before Yu could reply, she suddenly stopped in front of a well maintained house on the street.  It wasn’t quite as large as Rise’s, but Yu could tell by the stone which had to have been imported that the house was expensively made.  Rise knocked on the door, and it was soon opened by the butler.  “Hello Miss Kujikawa,” he greeted, and Rise lowered her head slightly.

“Can you let Admiral Dojima know that his nephew is here to see him?” she asked sweetly.  The butler’s eyes widened, and he turned his head to look at Yu.  He seemed to recognize him, and he quickly nodded before ushering them inside.  “Please, have a seat in the parlor,” he said before rushing off.

Yu felt his heart thrumming in anticipation, although he carefully kept his face devoid of any expression.  He had perfected the upperclass mask at an early age, although the past few weeks on the ship had slowly been chipping away at it.  He felt it immediately crumple upon seeing his uncle as he rushed in the room, expression darkening as he took in his nephew’s appearance.  “What happened?” he demanded.  “I know that Hanamura boy wouldn’t have done this.”

Yu was floored by his words, while Rise’s expression also turned dark with anger.  “That man – Adachi.  The one you didn’t like.  He led a mutiny and stranded Yosuke on an island before taking his ship.  He did it in the dead of the night while most of the crew loyal to Yosuke was sleeping.  _He_ was the one who did this to your nephew,” she said.

Dojima’s jaw clenched.  “Is this true?” he asked, and Yu dumbly nodded.  He still couldn’t get over the fact Dojima knew who Yosuke was.

“What’s…going on?” he finally asked, and Rise and Dojima exchanged looks.

“I was well aware what was going on with Captain Jiraiya,” Dojima explained.  “At the time the corrupt governor was in power, I was still a commodore and powerless to do anything.  Even though my own family was being affected.”  He let out a sigh.  “I of course had known the Hanamura kid growing up.  He was often a thorn in my side, but he had a good heart.  When he ran off the governor, I let him,” he admitted.  “When I see his ship I have to attempt to chase it, but I always do so at partial speed to allow him to get away.  I am well aware at how he takes care of the town.”

Yu stared at him hopefully.  “So…will you help him?”

Dojima let out a sigh.  “Of course I will.  Don’t think I’m happy about your sudden turn at piracy, however.  It has been a nightmare trying to deal with your parents.”

Yu let out a relieved smile, and Dojima gave him a small smile in return.  Yu was actually pretty close with his uncle and cousin, who used to visit often when she was younger before Dojima got stationed in the Americas and they moved to Inaba.  He couldn’t wait to see Nanako, although he didn’t want her to see him in such a state.  He knew it would make her worried.  And he also didn’t want to waste another moment.

“What do you suggest?” Yu asked.  “Naoto is trying to figure out if she can estimate Yosuke’s location, but I’m afraid the area to search may be too large.  He doesn’t have any shelter or food and water so I don’t want to wait too long.”

“I say we go to the source,” Dojima explained.  “My crew have been eager to capture some pirates.  That Adachi is a coward – with a little forceful persuasion I am sure he will give up the location.”

Yu could honestly believe it.  Furthermore…the idea of doing some “forceful” interrogation greatly appealed to him.  “Thank you,” he told his uncle sincerely.  The admiral clapped his hand on his nephew’s shoulder.

“Thank me once we find him,” he replied.  “Go and gather the crew and meet me at the dock within the half hour.  I’ll bring you to our ship.  Adachi’s group cannot have gone far, and I have an idea where he’s probably heading.”

“You sure you can catch up?” Yu asked as he followed Rise out the door.

“Oh, I am fairly certain,” Dojima replied, a small smirk gracing his face.  “I’ve been looking forward to this.  He had a reputation before the Hanamura boy got mixed up with him – the only reason I didn’t do anything sooner is he appeared to be acting better once he joined the kid’s crew.”  He looked just as out for revenge as Yu felt, and Yu couldn’t help but feel just a tiny bit happy his uncle actually liked Yosuke after all. 

“I will see you in half an hour,” Yu promised, and Dojima waved at them as they headed back to Rise’s manor.  Yu felt like a small weight had been lifted from his shoulders now that they had a plan, even if nothing was guaranteed yet.

“Does Yosuke know how my uncle feels about him?” Yu asked Rise curiously.  She let out a giggle.

“Yosuke is half terrified of your uncle,” she replied.  “He used to get on his case when he would get in trouble as a kid.  But, yes, he is aware the Admiral won’t seriously try to capture him.”  Yu let out a long sigh.

“And this whole time…” he muttered to himself, while Rise smiled knowingly.

“It must make you feel a bit relieved,” she said thoughtfully, and Yu honestly nodded.

“Even moreso…I’m ready to save Yosuke,” he said.  Rise beamed at him, and this time Yu gladly walked arm in arm with her as they made their way to the rest of the crew, a plan firmly in place.  Yu would not rest until he was by his captain’s side yet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I extended the story by another chapter because I liked where this one ended. Hopefully you won't mind too much where it ended since it's turning to a more positive note :)
> 
> Also, please check out [a colored version](http://harenchiou.tumblr.com/post/182375823585/yohohohoho-from-treya-bartons-pirate-au-souyo) of Harenchiou's previous sketch for Mutiny. Yosuke looks seriously stunning in color and everyone should appreciate the amazing job he did ^^


	8. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the aid of Admiral Dojima, Yu and the rest of the loyal Jiraiya pirates chase after Adachi and his traitorous crew.

When Rise and Yu returned to her estate, they spotted the curious heads of their friends as they peered anxiously through the windows facing the street.  Yu smiled and waved upon spotting them, and when Chie rushed to the door and asked incredulously, “He’s really going to help us?” he couldn’t help but excitedly nod.

“We have to be at the docks in 20 minutes though so we should round everyone up,” Rise explained.  “I suppose I should drag Naoto from my study,” she mused to herself as she headed to check on the navy haired young woman.  Naoto was the only one missing from milling about in the parlor and sitting rooms.  While she went to grab the sailing master, Yu explained an abridged version of events and admitted that Admiral Dojima was actually his uncle and the person he had been coming to see when his ship was attacked by their crew.  Everyone looked floored by that news, while also being excited over the fact he had gotten his uncle to help.  He fibbed a bit and said that because they had taken such good care of him, Dojima was willing to help out in order to save Jiraiya.  Chie, surprisingly, kept a straight face even though Yosuke was pretty sure she had to also know about his uncle, while Teddie had launched himself at Yu in excitement over the news.  He was soon enveloped by a series of other arms that included Kanji, Yukiko, and even Chie.

“We are definitely going to get that idiot back,” Chie promised, and Yu couldn’t help but agree.

Once Rise returned with Naoto in tow, they all headed down to the docks, where Dojima was waiting for them with a few smaller boats to take them to his ship.  “Unfortunately, this is where I must part,” Rise said as she prepared to see them off.  “While I wish I could come myself and give that awful man a piece of my mind, I have to stay here and look out for Inaba.  I promised Jiraiya, and I won’t break that promise,” she said firmly.

“You already helped us out a lot,” Yukiko smiled at her.  “We’ll bring him back safe and sound – I promise!”  Rise smiled back before turning and giving Yu a sly smile and a wink.

“I am especially relying on you,” she said, causing Yu to blush as Teddie dragged him onto one of the dinghies.  Yu couldn’t help but feel his heart race in anticipation as they rowed out to his uncle’s ship, and he kept his back to Inaba as they departed, deciding the next time he looked at the town he wanted it to be by Yosuke’s side.  He clenched his fists in his lap and felt relieved when they finally made it to the Naval vessel and were brought on board.  Dojima barked out orders to his crew, explaining that they were finally going to capture that ruffian Adachi who they had encountered several times before he joined Jiraiya’s crew.  His crew cheered, and Dojima had most of the crew loyal to Yosuke join his men as they prepared to set sail.  Chie, Naoto, and Yu, meanwhile, met him in his cabin so they could plan their route.

“I believe I know where he will be heading,” Naoto explained.  “He and Yosuke were arguing the night of the mutiny over what vessel we should go after next.  Adachi was insistent we go after the Konishi merchant vessel which should be located about here based on the planned route information we had,” she explained, pointing to a spot on the map.  “Yosuke knows the family, however, and knew they were honest merchants and refused, even though they are said to be carrying an expensive shipment.  He wanted us to go after one of our usual targets which was supposed to be departing from Okina today.”

“That was going to be my guess as well,” Dojima explained.  “We were set to patrol the area specifically because we figured they had a high chance of being attacked.  You are sure they should be right around there?”

“Positive,” Naoto confirmed, and he nodded his head. 

“I know of your reputation,” he explained, “and trust your judgement.”  His face then lit up into a devilish grin.  “Let’s give them a taste of their own medicine,” he said before heading out onto the deck to give his own sailing master their orders.  Although Yu trusted his uncle and Naoto’s judgement, he couldn’t help but give a small prayer in the hopes that they were on the right track, for Yosuke’s sake.

Moments later, the sails to Dojima’s ship _HMS_ _Chisato_ unfurled, and the crew began to expertly set the ship up to sail in the direction set by Dojima and Naoto.  Yu was surprised by the speed of Dojima’s ship, and realized he wasn’t kidding earlier when he said they never chased the _Garudyne_ at top speed.  He began to feel better about their chances of overtaking Adachi’s crew as the ship began to cut through the water.

They ended up hearing the other vessel first, and they knew they were getting close when they heard the telltale sound of gunfire from the _Garudyne_ ’s cannons going off as they attacked the other vessel.  Yu felt his stomach knot in anticipation as Yosuke’s ship came into view, gangplanks down as Adachi’s traitorous crew raced across to attack the merchant ship.  Instead of firing themselves, Dojima realized that neither of the other ships appeared to have noticed their approach, and he instead silently sailed up to the _Garudyne_ before weighing anchor and boarding the other ship.  They left some of Yosuke’s crew to man the ship including Yukiko and Teddie, while the remainder of the crew and a good chunk of Dojima’s sailors instead surprise attacked Adachi’s crew, who were completely unprepared.  The Konishi merchant’s crew cheered as the sailors burst onto the scene, stopping pirates in the middle of their attack as those loyal to Yosuke assisted them.  Yu smirked when he noticed Adachi’s shocked expression when he realized what was going on, and he shook his head as the man fled below deck, obviously trying to somehow avoid getting caught.

He and Chie exchanged looks, and while Kanji and Naoto took care of things on deck, they both began to make their way through the fray to where they saw Adachi disappear.  Along the way, they encountered the pirate that had been rude to Yukiko, and Chie took great pride in swiftly kicking him to the ground and tying him up as he begged for mercy.  She moved quickly, however, for neither of them knew what Adachi had up his sleeve but they both knew it couldn’t be good.  Once they reached the hatch that led to below deck, Yu turned and quickly scanned to see how the fight was going, noting the confusion due to the mix of Navy, merchants, and pirates all fighting each other.  He spotted his uncle who was grappling with Adachi’s right hand man, and once he noted his uncle wrestle the other man to the ground, he took it as a sign to head down.  “Are you ready?” he asked Chie, who nodded resolutely.

“Heck yeah.  I’m ready to teach him why you don’t mess with the real Jiraiya pirates,” Chie grinned.  She and Yu then cautiously made their way downstairs, both of them with their gun in one hand and their sword in another.  Chie honestly preferred hand to hand combat, but could do a little bit of everything when it came to fighting.  Yu, while much better with the sword, had always been a steady marksman when hunting.  Once they made their way to the bottom of the stairs, they noted how dark and quiet it was below deck.  Yu cautiously stepped forward, peering around the cramped corridor while Chie stuck close behind him.  They quietly crept forward, listening carefully as they went, peeking through any doors that were open before moving on.  Finally, they heard a quiet grunt from a room up ahead, and Chie kicked the door in while Yu rushed past her, barely dodging as Adachi fired his gun, missing due to his surprise.  He then held his gun to the head of a young woman who was tied and gagged and based on her attire had been struggling to fight Adachi off.  It was probably what had caused Adachi to grunt in the first place.

“Don’t step any closer,” Adachi smirked.  “If you do, this girl dies.”

Chie and Yu both looked over at her worriedly, but noticed that while she was struggling, she seemed more angry than afraid.  She looked over at both of them, and they couldn’t help but appreciate the defiance in her eyes.  “I’m not sure what your angle is,” Yu said, voice calm even though his anger from the day before was yet again coursing through his veins.  “You’re outmatched and outnumbered.”

Adachi shook his head.  “Outmatched?” he scoffed.  “By the likes of you?”

Chie attempted to inch closer, and Adachi roughly yanked the gun against the young woman’s head.  “You obviously weren’t paying very good attention,” he sneered.  Then, to everyone’s surprise, the young woman he was holding suddenly slipped out from her gag and bit Adachi on the hand, causing him to swear loudly as he dropped his gun.  He roughly shoved her to the ground, causing her to cry out in pain as he dove for his gun, leading to Yosuke’s hat flying off of his head.  Before he could reach the gun, however, Yu had already leapt into action and dove for it, scooping it up and rolling out of Adachi’s reach.  Chie, meanwhile, got between him and the girl who was scooting away as fast as she could while she was still bound.

“This is for Yosuke,” Chie said, swiftly kicking Adachi in the gut and knocking his breath out.  Adachi glared up at her and tried to lash out to grab at her ankle, but she easily shook him off.  Adachi scrambled to his feet, leaning over slightly from where he had been kicked and breathing heavily.  He tried to lunge at Chie who swiftly leapt out of the way, causing Adachi to fall within the range of Yu instead.  Yu slid both of his weapons away and out of Adachi’s reach before reeling back and knocking Adachi square in the face, landing the hit with a solid thud that caused Adachi to sprawl back onto the deck.  Yu felt all of that fury that he had been harboring unleash at once, and before he could really think he was leaning down and picking up Adachi by the scruff of his shirt before leaning back for another punch.  He got a solid few in before he was suddenly pulled back by Chie and the unknown young woman who barely managed to drag him away.

“Yu, we need him alive if we’re going to figure out where he left Yosuke,” Chie sternly reminded him while Yu caught his breath.  He realized suddenly that his fist felt like it was burning, and he looked down and noticed that he was still tightly holding his hand into a fist and it looked like his knuckles were going to be pretty bruised.  He then looked over at Adachi’s face and winced as he saw what a bloody mess it was; Yu had definitely broken his nose in his rage.

“I’m sorry, Chie, you’re right,” Yu said, leaning heavily against the wall.

“Not that he didn’t deserve it,” the other young woman said, looking pretty shaken now that the encounter was over.  “He…he tried…”  Chie threw her arm around her reassuringly.  “He’s a monster,” she finished, and Adachi, who was in a daze, coughed up some blood.

“You’re not wrong,” Chie commented.  “But we’re going to make sure he gets what he deserves.”  She then peered closer at her.  “You’re not…?” she asked in surprise.

“Konishi Saki.  I was returning home to see my parents when our ship was attacked,” she explained.  Yu’s eyes widened – this must be the friend Naoto had mentioned.  “Did you say something about Yosuke?” she asked.  “Is he here?”

Chie shook her head.  While she explained what had happened and untied Saki’s bonds, the door swung open again as his uncle, Naoto, and Kanji stepped into the room.  Yu carefully tried to hide his fist while feeling a bit ashamed over how he had snapped like that, while Kanji and Dojima hauled Adachi up into a sitting position.  Dojima and Naoto began to question Adachi, who slowly began to answer their questions, seemingly defeated now that he had no options left.  “You should probably go see Yukiko,” Chie whispered to Yu, who shook his head.

“Not until I know Yosuke’s safe,” he said softly.  Saki looked up at him curiously and tilted her head, but she didn’t say anything.

Dojima turned to face her once he was done with Adachi.  Kanji and Naoto were in the process of tying him up so he could be brought onto Dojima’s ship now that they had gathered what they needed from him.  “I’m having my crew take a look at the damage to your ship,” he explained.  “We are not sure yet if it is sailable.  If it is…”

“It should be,” Saki replied steadfastly.  “And if it is, I would prefer to stay with my ship.”  She held her head high as she spoke.  “I have to make sure my family’s goods are delivered safely.”

She then turned to face Chie and Yu.  “But, please send me a letter letting me know Hana-chan is ok?” she asked.  Yu’s face blushed at the intimate nickname, and Chie nodded.  Saki then headed back up to the deck to check on her merchants, while Kanji helped Dojima drag Adachi above deck.  That left the other three to speak plainly amongst themselves.

“Do you know where Yosuke is?” Yu asked hopefully, and Naoto nodded.

“I do.  What he told me corroborates what my suspicions were based on that data I was able to gather during and after the mutiny,” she explained.  “We should have our captain back shortly.”  She smiled at the two of them, a rare wide smile from the normally serious young woman, before stepping up above deck.

“What’s the history between Yosuke and Saki?” Yu asked curiously, and Chie let out a huff.

“Yosuke had a crush on her when we were kids.  She’s a little older than us and would sometimes tease or flirt with him,” she explained.  “But, trust me when I say, she was never interested in him.  She was probably just worried as an old friend.”  Chie grinned at Yu.  “So, nothing to be jealous about.”

Yu’s mouth dropped open as Chie snickered at him, before she turned to head up to the deck.  Yu paused, realizing he was forgetting something, and turned his head until he saw his captain’s hat lying on the ground from where it had fallen off Adachi’s head.  He gingerly picked it up, dusting it off and gently running his fingers along the brim as he thought about how close they were to saving his captain.  He then headed back up to the deck, Chie flashing him a knowing smile when she saw what he was holding in his hands.  The ship was in definite disarray, but the integrity of the hull hadn’t been breached and the mast was still intact which meant it was cleared to sail. 

Dojima locked away the traitorous pirates into the brig of his ship, while those who had wavered under Adachi’s rule and still had some loyalty to Yosuke were returned to the _Garudyne_ to be dealt with internally.  Naoto was able to quickly plot their course to the island their captain had been stranded on, and Chie and Yu directed the crew in their tasks as they prepared to set sail.  ‘Yosuke…we’re coming,’ Yu thought to himself.  ‘So just hold on a little longer.’


	9. Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke lies on the island and watches his ship drift away with his crew imprisoned on board.

Yosuke heaved himself onto shore, coughing from the saltwater he had ingested due to having to tread water to shore since his hands were still bound behind his back.  He turned slightly, eyes barely making out the outline of his ship due to how dark it was that night as it silently sailed away.  Yosuke lay still for several long minutes, unable to tear his eyes away until the ship finally slipped out of view and blended in with the inky blackness of the horizon.  Yosuke then dropped his head back onto the sand, ignoring the fact it was sticking to his hair and the blood dripping from a cut on his face.  Yosuke had massively screwed up and now his crew, his friends, and the town of Inaba was going to pay for it, and there was literally nothing he could do.

Not long afterward, Yosuke ended up passing out, energy spent after his adrenaline finally died off from the fight and the struggle to shore.  When he woke up it was to the early morning sunlight hitting his eyes, causing him to groan and wince when he realized how sore he was.  He sat up, nearly falling over due to his arms still being tied behind his back, and he finally began looking around for anything he could possibly use to untie himself.  To his dismay, he realized the “island” he had been stranded on was not much more than a sandbar, and he could imagine probably in poor weather it would end up completely underwater.  Yosuke stood up and walked across the whole stretch of sand, looking for any rocks that may be sharp enough, but it was to no avail.  He then began to struggle with the bonds, eventually managing to work them enough to slip one hand out before finally releasing the other as well, tossing the rope to the ground as he massaged his rope burned wrists and tried to ignore all of the aches and pains he was feeling. 

He felt foolish, standing on this sandbar in the middle of the ocean in nothing but a nightgown, but at the end of the day he figured he probably deserved it.  His thoughts drifted back to the _Garudyne_ and he sunk back down to the ground, suddenly wondering how the rest of the crew was faring.  He hoped Adachi was going to stick to his word and wouldn’t harm the crew, particularly Teddie and the women since he knew several loyal to Adachi had muttered about allowing women and children on board with them.  He worried about their future, knowing they were unlikely to get into another profession due to their gender, and felt even guiltier about not paying attention to warning signs and getting rid of Adachi sooner.  In retrospect, Yosuke had noticed several signs that the mutiny was coming, but had chose to ignore them over focusing on running the ship, planning raids, and if he was honest, his growing attraction to his cook.

Yosuke felt his chest clench as thoughts of the silver haired man entered his head, and he lay back and threw his arm across his eyes to block them from the bright sun. Yosuke had no form of shade to protect himself and knew that as the sun climbed higher overhead, he would definitely start suffering for it.  Especially with the lack of fresh water.  Yosuke knew that if someone didn’t happen upon him pretty soon, he wouldn’t be able to make it for long out there.  He allowed his mind to drift away from such depressing topics, and centered them again upon Narukami Yu.  Yosuke remembered the sick expression on Yu’s face shortly before he walked the plank, and squeezed his eyes shut, hating that he had caused the man so much distress.  He hoped that Adachi didn’t do anything to him, for while he had tried to keep his attraction discreet, he could tell the other man had probably caught onto it.  Yosuke had slowly discovered after signing Adachi on that the man had a cruel reputation, which often came out in their arguments over what ships to raid or how to treat the opposing crew when they did.  Yosuke wanted as little bloodshed as possible, while Adachi often wanted to get rid of the other crew.  Still, Yosuke had been so sure he had Adachi under control, he had ignored those signs and now…

Yosuke shook his head.  His crew was strong, and he had to believe they would find a way to make it through.  Even if their lives wouldn’t be the same, at least they’d survive.  Now Inaba?  Yosuke clenched his fist and smashed it against the sandy ground.  Yosuke had truly let Inaba down.  There was no way Adachi, greedy as he was, would continue to supply the town and without those supplies, the town would start to suffer.  Yosuke felt guilt wrack his core at the thought and grit his teeth, suddenly feeling like a failure.  He thought of his friends and family back in Inaba, his parents especially, and heaved a loud sigh before opening his eyes and squinting them against the sun.  He had let everyone down, hadn’t he?  Yosuke idly trailed his fingers through the sand as his mind drifted through thought after negative thought, wishing there was something he could do to change things around.  Yosuke was at his best when he was able to take action, since he swiftly came up with and executed plans, so lying around and waiting for something to happen was pure torture. 

After awhile, he found his mind drifting back to Yu again.  Yu had been a surprise.  His stubbornness at first had intrigued Yosuke, and he had found himself quickly falling for the man until he was shocked to realize exactly who he was.  He knew from letters back home about Rise’s possible fiancé coming to Inaba, and he had been very briefly considering letting go of his attraction…until he realized how far gone his feelings were at that point.  Yosuke had sent Rise a letter explaining the situation and apologizing for falling for her fiancé…while stating outright he was going to do his best to steal him away.  He was sure Rise, if she had gotten the letter, would probably have gotten a kick out of that, and he now had slight regret over how rash he had been.  Rise would honestly make a pretty good match for Yu, and if Yosuke really _wasn’t_ going to make it then…  Yosuke sat up and ran his hands through his hair, trying to shake out those thoughts, and causing sand to fall from his hair.  Even now, he couldn’t be the better man, and selfishly wished he’d somehow find a way back to Yu.  Yosuke looked up, biting his lip slightly as he stared at the horizon, before realizing that he could _see_ something dotting it.

Yosuke stood up and shielded his eyes from the sun as he continued to squint, trying his best not to get too hopeful but feeling his heart pound in anticipation nonetheless as the object began to move closer.  It didn’t take him long to recognize the silhouette, and Yosuke’s mouth dropped open.  Either Adachi was returning to finish the job, or something miraculous had happened.  Once the _Garudyne_ moved closer, Yosuke began to hear the distant shouts of a few familiar voices, and his heart swelled as he realized it was the latter.  “Captaaaaaiiiin!” Teddie shouted, waving spastically from bow of the ship.

“Yo!” Yosuke shouted back, also waving, tears in his eyes as he spotted more familiar faces.  There was Kanji, and Naoto, and Yukiko, and Chie, and…  Yosuke’s heart melted as he saw the warm smile of Yu as their eyes locked.  A slight blush graced the normally confident captain’s cheeks, especially when Yu looked away to shout orders, confidently stepping into the role of temporary captain in the absence of Yosuke.  Yosuke had a thought creep into his head, one he had been honestly considering before, but now found himself finally committing to.  Soon, the ship weighed anchor since the water around the sandbar was too shallow, and lowered one of the dinghies down, with only Yu in tow.  Yosuke realized with a start that he was carrying his hat under his arm and was locking him with a steady gaze, almost as if too afraid to look away.  Yosuke couldn’t help but feel the same and found himself staring back, heart leaping with anticipation.

Yu sat down and rested the hat on his knee before reaching down for the oars and paddling to shore, once again looking up to watch Yosuke as he did.  Yosuke found his feet carrying him toward Yu, stopping only once he was ankle deep in water, waiting in anticipation for him to reach shore.  Once Yu brought the small boat close to the sandbar, Yosuke caught hold of it and helped drag it to shore, feeling touched when the first thing Yu did was place his hat on his head before smiling down at him from the boat.  “Captain,” he greeted, and Yosuke reached up before yanking him off the boat and into his arms.

“You came back,” he gasped, and Yu held him back tightly as he fell forward, barely keeping his balance as he landed boots first in the water with a splash.  Yosuke buried his head on Yu’s shoulder, feeling relief sink into his bones.  Yu was real, his crew was ok, and they had the ship back somehow.

“Are you sure you still want to call me Captain?” Yosuke asked, and Yu pulled away to look at him.  Yosuke watched the pained expression cross his face both at his words and at the dried blood and other injuries that dotted his body, especially the mess on his face that also had bits of sand stuck to it.  Yosuke, honestly, was a mess, and Yu was itching to get him back on the boat and let Yukiko have her way with him.  But before that…

“Yes,” Yu replied.  “All of us do,” he added.  Yosuke looked unconvinced for a moment, until he added, “I was so worried, Yosuke.  I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.”

Yosuke blinked and stared at him in surprise.  “I thought the same.  About all of you – my friends, the crew, Inaba, my family,” he explained.  “But…selfish I know, especially you.”

It was Yu’s turn to blush in surprise, especially when Yosuke suddenly tugged his head forward and captured his lips.  Yosuke’s lips tasted of salt from the dried seawater and were admittedly a bit sandy, but they were warm and soft and Yu found himself melting into his touch, lips eagerly following Yosuke’s lead.  Their moment was interrupted by cheers and catcalls from the crew, which caused Yosuke to pull away in a rare show of embarrassment, albeit while smiling shyly at Yu.  “We’ll have to follow up on that thought later, First Mate,” he said, causing Yu to tilt his head.

“What did you call me?” he asked, while helping Yosuke onto the dinghy. 

“I said you’re my first mate,” Yosuke explained nonchalantly.  “I’m sure the others will agree.  I’ll have to make Chie my quartermaster too, I suppose,” he mused.

“Are you sure?” Yu asked, sounding astonished.  Yosuke turned to grin at him. 

“I’ve never been so certain about anything in my entire life,” he promised, standing tall in his nightgown with his hat securely on his head.  Even though he was bloody and bruised, he still cut a striking figure, especially with the ship and the crew in the backdrop behind him.  Yu slowly smiled back, before motioning for him to sit so he could row them back to the ship.  Once they arrived on the ship, and Yosuke was through getting bombarded by hugs from his friends, he made the formal announcement.  Everyone seemed happy with the outcome, even if Chie joked that it wasn’t fair he was promoting his lover over her.  She then reassured him she much preferred being a quartermaster to spending _that_ much time with him, since as first mate Yu would be his second in command and privy to all of his planning.  Afterward, Yukiko finally got her hands on him and dragged the poor man away, who had to suffer through hours of cleaning and bandaging until she was finally satisfied.

Later that night, Yosuke was resting in his cabin, allowing Chie and Yu to run things while he recovered, when he was surprised by a knock on the door.  “You can come in, I’m awake,” he called, although he was honestly pretty worn out.  His heart skipped a beat when his first mate stepped in and closed the door behind him before making his way over to the bed and sitting carefully on the edge so he could look down at him.

“How are you feeling?” Yu asked, and Yosuke shrugged.

“Much better…yet somehow much worse,” he admitted, since all of his wounds stung after Yukiko had thoroughly cleaned and sanitized them earlier.

Yu chuckled.  “I’ll bet,” he said.  He then eyed Yosuke carefully as he added, “I met two very interesting ladies while we were working on rescuing you.”

Yosuke looked confused by his comment and tilted his head.  “One was going to be my fiancée, and the other was an old friend of yours,” Yu commented.

Yosuke looked away for a moment, desperately wondering which “old friend” it could be.  “Her name is Saki – she’ll be happy to know you’re alright,” Yu replied, chuckling at Yosuke’s panicked expression.  Yosuke’s eyes widened.

“You met Saki?” he asked.  “How’s she doing?”

Yu briefly explained the encounter and watched as Yosuke’s eyes flashed in anger upon hearing what Adachi did.  When he heard about Yu’s anger, however, his eyes flew down to Yu’s hand which was resting on the bed next to him, and he immediately spotted the bruising.  He reached out and took Yu’s hand between both of his, gently caressing it while noting that Yu also carried rope burns as well.  He pressed his lips gently against Yu’s knuckles before looking back up at him.  “Thank you.  For saving her.  For saving me,” he replied.  “I wish you hadn’t hurt yourself though.”

Yu reached down with his free hand to gently run his thumb next to the dressing covering Yosuke’s cut on his forehead.  “I would do it again,” he admitted.  “Also, what I was honestly trying to say was, Rise gave us her blessing,” he explained.  “She told me she didn’t want a man who was in love with someone else.”

Yosuke was surprised by how straightforward Yu’s words were, but he couldn’t help but feel pleased by it.  “And you don’t deny that you’re in love with someone else?” he asked.

Yu shook his head.  “I believe you can attest to that,” he replied with a small smile.

“Good.  Because I have never felt for anyone else the way I do about you,” Yosuke admitted.  “I know Saki probably teased you a little, but even my crush on her as a lad pales in comparison to my crush on you.  I fell pretty hard,” he admitted.

Yu flushed at his words, before shaking his head.  “I’m not sure I understand why,” he said.  “I am sure you have encountered much more interesting people than a sheltered nobleman.”

Yosuke grinned at him.  “A sheltered nobleman who is the most stubborn, handsome, intelligent man I know,” he teased.  “I’ve never had someone come so close to besting me at swordplay.  And your food seriously saved my diet,” he added.

Yu couldn’t help but chuckle at that response.  “And you were the most enigmatic person I have ever met in my life,” he replied.  “You were this puzzle I was trying so hard to solve but some of the pieces just didn’t want to fit.”

“I’m not all that interesting,” Yosuke laughed, and Yu shook his head.

“I think I finally got most of the pieces to fit, only to find out you weren’t simply a puzzle.  You were a masterpiece,” he said.

Yosuke shook his head, before reaching forward and placing his hand along the side of Yu’s face.  “Come here,” he commanded, and Yu leaned forward, carefully balancing himself over Yosuke so he could stare down at him.  “You deserve a reward for saying something so ridiculous,” he explained, guiding Yu’s face down in order to capture his lips yet again.  This time they had no interruptions and ample time to explore each other.  Yu allowed himself to be enveloped in the scent and taste of Yosuke, shyly exploring the other man’s mouth and quickly catching on to the way Yosuke directed him with his lips and light pressure from his elegant, yet strong fingers.  Yu’s mind felt hazy as he slowly sank against Yosuke, just barely managing to keep himself from covering him completely, the thought of his injuries somehow still in the back of his mind.  When Yosuke finally pulled apart, mainly to give Yu the chance to breathe, the silver haired man barely registered the fact that he was out of breath, so preoccupied was he with thoughts of the brunet under him. 

Yosuke grinned impishly at him, gently running his hand through Yu’s hair before stating, “I forgot to add earlier what a quick study you are,” while winking at Yu cheekily.

Yu blushed before burying his face in the pillow next to Yosuke.  “You’re incorrigible,” he complained, and Yosuke laughed.

“Stay with me tonight?” Yosuke asked, and Yu blinked his eyes in surprise.

“What would the crew think?” he asked, and Yosuke snorted.

“For the first time in my life, I couldn’t care less,” he admitted.  “I just want you to stay.”  He stared up at Yu hopefully, and he felt his resolve immediately melt away.

“This is much more comfortable than a hammock,” he admitted, and Yosuke grinned at him.

“I thought the spoiled nobleman would come around,” he teased, pulling Yu down next to him and wrapping his arm around his chest.  Yu settled down next to Yosuke, feeling odd being so close to another person, yet also somehow incredibly comfortable.  Yu settled into his captain’s arms, with his scent, which always reminded Yu of a warm summer breeze, surrounding both of them from Yosuke’s sheets.  Yosuke gently carded his fingers through Yu’s hair, surprising him at the gentle touch, and Yu soon found his eyes drifting shut.  He could rest easy knowing that Yosuke was safe and nestled against his back, and that going forward he would be able to stay by his side, through thick and through thin. 

Yosuke’s fingers stopped running through his hair, and Yu could feel the soft warmth of Yosuke’s breath as it ghosted across the back of his neck as Yosuke drifted off to sleep, his fingers still half-buried in Yu’s silky locks.  Yu smiled before turning around so he could see Yosuke’s soft, sleeping face, and placed his arms around the other man before pulling him against his chest.  Now that Yosuke was comfortably in his arms, Yu finally felt content, as if while Yosuke was there nothing could happen to him.  Yu pressed his lips against Yosuke’s hair before also falling asleep, the only sound drifting through the cabin their soft breathing and the waves lapping against the ship outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone who read and commented this story. I was frankly quite surprised by the overwhelming response I had to Mutiny and am happy that so many people seemed to enjoy reading it. I hope you like the ending and how I wrapped everything up in this final chapter.
> 
> I am not completely finished with Mutiny, however, and have plans for a two part prologue showing how Yosuke became Captain Jiraiya and what Yu's life was like before his trip out at sea, along with an epilogue that I hope you'll like :) Also, please look forward to more things from Livefree as well who has another guest chapter planned for the story ^^


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the epilogue and final installment to Mutiny of the Heart.

After several weeks out at sea, the _Garudyne_ pulled into a port city to pick up supplies and to give the crew a well needed shore leave.  It was Yu’s first time visiting the city, and as he and Yosuke disembarked he couldn’t help but stare around him in awe at the mix of culture he encountered.  The city of New Orleans was currently Spanish owned but had been previously owned by the French and still had a lot of French and German settlers who lived there.  They had apparently also run off their governor a few years prior, but unlike in the case of Inaba, it had not been successful and the French king had maintained rule by the Spanish.  While Yosuke, who had been to the city a few times, led them to his favorite bar for them to unwind, Yu took in the sights and sounds, awed by the size of the city compared to Inaba and Okina.  London was of course larger, but this was a decently sized city for the Americas, and he couldn’t help but feel impressed. 

Yosuke, meanwhile, didn’t seem to pay any attention to the city as he led them through the streets crowded by a variety of people from different cultures and backgrounds all meshed together in one place.  Yu had noticed that lately his captain and lover had seemed distracted, and he could tell that something seemed to be weighing heavily on his conscious.  Yu had hesitated to bring it up, for he knew that the first person Yosuke would talk to was him, since he had definitely established that he was the one Yosuke considered worthy to share his thoughts and aspirations.  It was a privilege that Yu didn’t take lightly, which is why he was being patient with Yosuke and waiting for him to open up.  He knew as both first mate and partner to Yosuke that as captain he had a lot of worries and burdens that he carried on his shoulders, worries that only seemed to be growing stronger over the pass several months as their encounters with the various Navy that patrolled the area grew more prevalent.  Encounters with Yu’s uncle, Admiral Dojima, they could handle, but more and more were involving unknown officers or the Navy of other countries, and they had narrowly avoided capture several times.

Yu figured whatever Yosuke was mulling over had to be related to those things, but while they were topics they had briefly discussed a few times, Yosuke had not yet talked about his concerns in detail.  Yu was hoping that the change in scenery may allow his captain time to unwind and maybe finally get him to unburden some of those worries to him.  Yosuke seemed to finally come upon the bar he was looking for, for he suddenly began to cut through the crowd toward a pleasant looking establishment that was far enough away from port they were unlikely to encounter any of the crew.  Yu followed him inside, feeling brief trepidation as he watched to see if the bartender recognized Yosuke, and he felt relief when he realized that wasn’t the case.  His lover certainly had a reputation and it wouldn’t have been the first bar or other establishment where Yu had the pleasure of meeting one of Yosuke’s former bed companions, and while Yu had learned to get over the jealously, secure in his current relationship with Yosuke, he still couldn’t help but keep an eye for the telling signs.  Yu and Yosuke sat down at the bar, ordering rum and preparing to unwind for the evening.  They had left the ship under the supervision of Chie and Yukiko, promising to switch out with them the next day to give them a chance to explore and stock up on supplies.

Once their drinks arrived, they clinked glasses together before taking a sip.  Yu always associated rum with the first time he and Yosuke had made strides into forming a more romantic relationship, and he had a fond association with the drink as a result.  After taking a sip he analyzed Yosuke, noting that he was being notoriously quiet and withdrawn instead of his usual lively self.  “Yosuke,” Yu said, switching to a first name basis since they were alone.  His tone caught the brunet’s attention, and his captain looked at him curiously before setting down his glass.

“I know that tone of voice.  It means I’m about to get reprimanded,” Yosuke said with a small grin.  “Only this time I’m not sure what for.”

“Not reprimanded,” Yu insisted.  “But I would like to find out what’s been on your mind lately.”

Yosuke tensed for a moment, before letting out a sigh and leaning back against the bar.  He looked up for a moment, deep in thought on how to answer, and Yu studied his face as he did so.  Yosuke was still as roguishly handsome as the first day they met, but his expression had matured after he was betrayed by Adachi and suffered the mutiny.  He also had a small scar on his forehead from a cut he had received during the scuffle that you could only notice if you got close enough.  Yu, of course, noticed all the time, and it always made him feel a little guilty that he hadn’t been able to do something more to protect the man he loved.  Yosuke didn’t seem to mind it, and he told Yu it was a reminder to himself to never make a similar mistake again.  His crew and his town were too precious to risk it.  Yosuke turned his head to look at Yu, and his first mate could tell by his gaze that he was finally ready to talk.  “I received a letter recently from my parents,” Yosuke began.

“How are they doing?” Yu asked curiously.  He had finally met the Hanamura’s since Yosuke had been brought back to Inaba to recover after his ordeal.  They were a kind couple, and Yu could tell how much they adored their son.

“They’re doing well.  Apparently, trade has started back up in Inaba again.  My father has purchased a new ship and is starting the mercantile business back up,” Yosuke explained.  “The crown’s influence seems to be waning these days, and there’s unrest in the colonies.  So, the governor situation is no longer an area of focus.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Yu replied, wondering why Yosuke had started the conversation on that topic.  It didn’t seem to be something that would weigh so heavily on him.

Yosuke drummed his fingers against the side of the bar while staring off into the distance, and Yu leaned back to stare out as well, while watching Yosuke out of the corner of his eye.  He definitely seemed to be working up to something, although his next comment caught him by surprise.  “Is there anything that you’ve really wanted to do?” Yosuke asked, turning to look at Yu closely as he asked.

Yu turned to face him, and his gray eyes studied Yosuke for several moments as he mulled over the question.  He was suddenly brought back to his family estate and the boring, trapped life he had lived before his fateful trip to Inaba.  “Actually…” he started, looking a bit embarrassed.  “I always dreamed of taking on a trade as an apprentice and becoming a self-made man,” he admitted.

Yosuke laughed at that, and Yu gave him a disgruntled look.  “I’m sorry, it’s just, most people would rather be a landowner like your family,” he pointed out.

Yu looked down.  “I know.  I should have felt fortunate because I never had to worry about food or finances.  However, it was an incredibly boring life, and I never felt like I was utilizing myself to the best of my capabilities.  I didn’t get to feel that way until I met you.”

Yosuke blushed at that comment, for he always seemed shy whenever any member of his crew lavished him with praise.  He may act confident as the pirate captain, but he was still humble at his core.  “What did you want to take on as a trade?” Yosuke asked curiously, and Yu shook his head with a chuckle.

“I honestly don’t think it ever mattered to me.  I think deep down, all I wanted to be was free, to be able to have a choice or a say in my destiny,” he admitted.  “And you – you gave me a choice.  You always gave me a choice.”

Yosuke reached over and linked his fingers with the hand Yu had resting on the bar, his expression soft as he watched Yu talk.  Yu clasped Yosuke’s hand between his own, before pulling it up to press a grateful kiss against his palm.  As he did so, Yosuke fondly cupped his face, before giving him a warm smile that still caused Yu to get butterflies in his stomach, even after the amount of time they’d been together.  “What about you?” Yu asked curiously.  “What did young Yosuke dream of?”

Yosuke pulled his hand away from Yu’s face but still held his hand as he came up with an answer.  “Well, as a kid I always played at being a pirate.  That’s where Captain Jiraiya came from,” he admitted.  “Chie was always the loyal member of my crew, and we constantly terrorized your Uncle because he was the only one in town we knew was part of the Navy.  In retrospect, he was a good sport to put up with us as much as he did,” Yosuke admitted.

“So, you wanted to be a pirate?” Yu asked curiously, and Yosuke shook his head.

“To be honest, I always wanted to be a merchant,” he replied.  “I wanted to take over my father’s business and would sometimes accompany him on business ventures, and I always found it fascinating when he would haggle prices or set up the orders for goods.  I actually feel guilty that when I took father’s ship, I took away his business.  Sure, I was able to support my family as a pirate, but it hasn’t been the same for them.  They’ve been comfortable, but they don’t live as well as they used to, even with the Kujikawa’s support.  I’m actually relieved father can start it up again, although I’m nervous about how successful he may be since it’s been a few years since he’s run the business.”

Yu began to understand the breadth of the worries that had been resting heavily on his captain’s mind, and he began to mull over what he had been told and about the other worries he knew Yosuke had but hadn’t mentioned.  Suddenly, an idea began to form in his head, and he asked, “Well, if Inaba no longer needs Captain Jiraiya, how about Yosuke Hanamura?”

Yosuke’s eyebrows furrowed at Yu’s words.  “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, you told me that the people of Inaba are under the impression you’ve been running your father’s merchant business this whole time and that your family was the only one supplying the city, right?” Yu asked, and Yosuke nodded.  “And you also just indicated that the governor is no longer a problem either.  So, why not make the cover story a reality?”

Yosuke looked floored by the suggestion, and sat completely still for several moments.  “You mean…” he started before trailing off.

“It is your dream, isn’t it?” he asked, and Yosuke turned in his seat so he could face Yu directly.

“I feel like you’ve read my mind somehow,” he said, and Yu squeezed his hand.

“Even if you don’t tell me, I can guess at some of your burdens,” he replied.

Yosuke let out a sigh.  “I was honestly considering retiring piracy,” he admitted.  “Rise warned me years ago how dangerous it is and it’s nearly caught up to us too many times these past few months.  I was just concerned about quitting and leaving the ladies of the crew without the autonomy they have now.”

Yu couldn’t help but feel touched over Yosuke’s concern and care about the wellbeing of the rest of the crew.  It didn’t surprise him in the least that Yosuke didn’t want to retire unless he knew they would still be able to be happy.  “Yes, you will still be able to keep them on the ship, this time as honest sailors,” he replied, gaze warm as he watched the excitement alight on Yosuke’s face and his countenance change as some of the worries he had been carrying faded away.

Yosuke face suddenly darkened for a moment and he looked at Yu earnestly.  “What about you though?” he asked, and Yu cocked his head questioningly.  “What do you want to do?  You said you always wanted to do a trade, and I know how much you love your uncle and Nanako.  Would you rather settle down and pick out a trade so you can finally try your hand at one?” 

Yu couldn’t help but stare as Yosuke for a long moment, adoration alight on his face again over how much he put the needs and wishes of others over his own.  He knew that Yosuke would prefer he stay by his side, but also knew that Yosuke wanted to give him a choice and not force him to follow his own plan.  He wanted Yu to be happy and to chase his own dreams.  Fortunately, Yu knew exactly what path he wanted to take.  “I want to be by your side, no matter where that may be,” Yu gave his steadfast reply.  “Besides, last I checked mercantilism was a trade.”  His eyes twinkled as he gave his reply, and Yosuke couldn’t help but grin, relief flooding his features at his response.

“You are a pretty damn good haggler,” he admitted.  “And as the son of a landowner I’m sure you know how to keep account books as well.”

“Yes, I am very experienced in that regard,” Yu replied, looking amused by Yosuke’s enthusiasm.

“That’s perfect because I honestly hated that part of the job,” Yosuke replied, and Yu couldn’t help but laugh.  “What I enjoyed was picking up on what goods were trending and figuring out what would sell well.”  Yu could admittedly see that Yosuke would be great at that, since it was partially what made him so successful at picking out what merchant ships they would plunder.  It was a mix of whether or not the ship was run by a shady merchant and if the goods were worth the risk.

“It sounds like we could really make this work,” Yu agreed.  “We’ve both got skillsets to bring to the table.”

“It sounds like you and I are about to become business partners,” Yosuke replied, before pulling his hand away from Yu only to offer it again, this time in the form of a handshake.  “What do you say, partner?”

Yu looked at the offered hand, and a slow smile formed on his face before he accepted it and gave it a firm shake.  “Partner, I like the sound of that,” he said, and Yosuke grinned at him in reply.  Yu then leaned forward and swooped in for a kiss, pleasing Yosuke who always loved it every time Yu was the one who initiated any show of affection.  When he pulled away, he added, “And if we’re merchants, we can finally set up a place in Inaba and see both of our families sometimes.”

“I would like that,” Yosuke admitted.  They spent the rest of their evening at the bar drinking rum and imagining what kind of house they would build and what kind of future they would have to look forward to doing honest work for a change.  They knew the possibilities were endless when they had each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter I have finally concluded Mutiny of the Heart. I hope you can all appreciate the future that is ahead of Yu and Yosuke and I want to again thank all of you who followed this story and left such kind comments throughout their journey. If you didn't know already, I have also written a prologue The Call to Sea which goes into the backgrounds of Yu and Yosuke before they met each other. Also look forward to future installments Livefree will add of the pair's more spicy bedroom adventures - she's already written one called Captain's Quarters which is an amazing story and definitely worth a read :)


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